Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arendal and Narvik

For one person, living is cheaper in Narvik: $2,460 a month against $2,679 in Arendal, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arendal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Narvik
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Narvik Living Index

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Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

Narvik

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,460

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arendal and in Narvik

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arendal and in Narvik actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,679 in Arendal versus $2,460 in Narvik.

Arendal $2,679
Narvik $2,460

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,805 in Arendal versus $3,763 in Narvik.

Arendal $3,805
Narvik $3,763

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,931 in Arendal versus $5,067 in Narvik.

Arendal $4,931
Narvik $5,067

Living in Arendal is roughly 9% more expensive than in Narvik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arendal 98% above, Narvik 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.51 NOK 184

$31.93 NOK 301

-38.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 NOK 619

$93.7 NOK 882

-29.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 146

$15.68 NOK 148

-1.02%

Cappuccino

$5.33 NOK 50.2

$4.96 NOK 46.67

7.46%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NOK 32.84

$2.91 NOK 27.37

19.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 NOK 30.62

$2.95 NOK 27.79

10.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$11.36 NOK 107

1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.08 NOK 114

$12.04 NOK 113

0.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 NOK 21.78

$2.43 NOK 22.89

-4.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 32.63

$3.27 NOK 30.77

6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 NOK 35.56

$2.69 NOK 25.28

40.52%

Eggs

$4.93 NOK 46.38

$5.21 NOK 49.07

-5.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 NOK 139

$12.05 NOK 113

22.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 NOK 135

$14.83 NOK 140

-3.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.30 NOK 314

$22.51 NOK 212

47.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.83

$3.88 NOK 36.57

-10.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.75

$2.05 NOK 19.30

28.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 NOK 32.74

$4.77 NOK 44.95

-27.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 NOK 44.63

$4.39 NOK 41.35

7.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.97

$2.52 NOK 23.71

1.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 NOK 29.18

$4.88 NOK 45.96

-36.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.55

$2.90 NOK 27.27

-2.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 NOK 21.13

$2.18 NOK 20.50

2.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.67 NOK 166

$16.29 NOK 153

8.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NOK 136

$16.93 NOK 159

-14.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 35.19

$3.39 NOK 31.92

10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$3.61 NOK 33.98

21.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 NOK 34.72

$4.63 NOK 43.61

-20.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 NOK 849

$89.0 NOK 838

1.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$15.46 NOK 146

-60.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 16.03

$2.14 NOK 20.15

-20.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$105 NOK 986

$51.8 NOK 488

102.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.31

$2.28 NOK 21.44

-0.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

$39.6K NOK 372.8K

21.86%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

$36.9K NOK 346.9K

11.22%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$252 NOK 2,372

$261 NOK 2,453

-3.28%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$34.68 NOK 326

$49.95 NOK 470

-30.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.7 NOK 751

$81.9 NOK 771

-2.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 NOK 345

$55.3 NOK 521

-33.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.34 NOK 248

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 NOK 145

$17.44 NOK 164

-11.81%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$314 NOK 2,952

$308 NOK 2,903

1.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

$7,612 NOK 71.7K

81.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 NOK 1,176

$123 NOK 1,157

1.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.59 NOK 410

$34.34 NOK 323

26.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 NOK 1,165

$138 NOK 1,299

-10.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,922

$161 NOK 1,520

26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

$912 NOK 8,583

21.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 NOK 9,783

$719 NOK 6,771

44.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

$1,643 NOK 15.5K

-5.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

$1,224 NOK 11.5K

18.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

$5,156 NOK 48.5K

-20.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

$4,755 NOK 44.8K

-34.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

$3,517 NOK 33.1K

18.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

5.01

-6.59%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arendal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Narvik: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arendal

$1K 38.8%

Narvik

$719 29.2% 30.8% $320

Groceries & Markets

Arendal

$488 18.2%

Narvik

$452 18.4% 7.3% $36

Eating Out

Arendal

$375 14%

Narvik

$466 19% 24.2% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arendal

$366 13.7%

Narvik

$392 16% 7.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Arendal

$223 8.3%

Narvik

$205 8.4% 8% $18

Getting Around

Arendal

$120 4.5%

Narvik

$134 5.4% 11.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Arendal

$67 2.5%

Narvik

$90 3.7% 33.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Arendal and $912 in Narvik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays 18% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Arendal vs $94.0 in Narvik. Groceries flip the comparison at $488 vs $452, with Narvik cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Arendal

🇳🇴 Narvik

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

Same time as Arendal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,406

14,183

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Arendal Narvik 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Arendal
Narvik

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arendal vs Narvik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arendal and Narvik differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,679 vs $2,460 including rent). Narvik is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Arendal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,109 in Arendal versus $912 in Narvik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $314 in Arendal versus $308 in Narvik. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Arendal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,460 in Narvik versus $2,679 in Arendal, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Narvik but tight or insufficient in Arendal. The gap between the two cities makes Narvik the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Arendal and Narvik are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Narvik gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Arendal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.