Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arendal and Newton, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,750 a month against $3,453 in Newton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Newton, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

133

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Newton, MA
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Newton, MA Living Index

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Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,750

/mo nomad

Newton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arendal and in Newton, MA

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 Newton, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,750 in Arendal versus $3,453 in Newton, MA.

Arendal $2,750
Newton, MA $3,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,932 in Arendal versus $5,901 in Newton, MA.

Arendal $3,932
Newton, MA $5,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,113 in Arendal versus $8,348 in Newton, MA.

Arendal $5,113
Newton, MA $8,348

Living in Arendal costs roughly 20% less than in Newton, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arendal 102% above, Newton, MA 154% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 NOK 192

$27.44 $27.44

-24.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 NOK 622

$121 $121

-44.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.06 NOK 149

$11.95 $11.95

34.39%

Cappuccino

$5.51 NOK 51.1

$6.02 $6.02

-8.47%

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

$3.75 NOK 34.79

$2.98 $2.98

25.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 NOK 31.69

$2.20 $2.20

55.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.85 NOK 110

$8.12 $8.12

45.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.58 NOK 98.1

$8.01 $8.01

32.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 NOK 23.09

$1.21 $1.21

105.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 NOK 32.89

$4.72 $4.72

-24.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 37.15

$7.13 $7.13

-43.76%

Eggs

$4.76 NOK 44.13

$4.24 $4.24

12.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.98 NOK 139

$19.23 $19.23

-22.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 NOK 138

$10.89 $10.89

37.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.94 NOK 324

$16.19 $16.19

115.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 33.42

$5.11 $5.11

-29.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 NOK 25.49

$1.67 $1.67

64.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.31

$5.57 $5.57

-37.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 NOK 46.23

$6.61 $6.61

-24.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 NOK 23.73

$4.43 $4.43

-42.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 NOK 29.28

$3.93 $3.93

-19.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.90

$2.94 $2.94

-1.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 NOK 22.47

$2.61 $2.61

-7.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.37 NOK 170

$12.94 $12.94

41.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 NOK 140

$15.54 $15.54

-3.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 34.69

$1.88 $1.88

98.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 NOK 41.21

$2.61 $2.61

70.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.78 NOK 35.04

$2.42 $2.42

56.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.4 NOK 875

$91.7 $91.7

2.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 NOK 59.0

$2.05 $2.05

210.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NOK 16.84

$1.59 $1.59

14.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$108 NOK 1,005

$10.93 $10.93

891.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 21.62

$0.99 $0.99

135.35%

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

$49.6K NOK 460.1K

$27.7K $27.7K

79.29%

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

$41.7K NOK 386.6K

$26.6K $26.6K

56.69%

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

$263 NOK 2,435

$243 $243

8.30%

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

$34.00 NOK 315

$54.1 $54.1

-37.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.7 NOK 739

$76.3 $76.3

4.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.05 NOK 343

$63.9 $63.9

-41.99%

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 NOK 147

$16.11 $16.11

-1.30%

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

$335 NOK 3,101

$2,654 $2,654

-87.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K NOK 134.6K

$36.2K $36.2K

-59.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$131 NOK 1,210

$74.0 $74.0

76.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.64 NOK 414

$50.8 $50.8

-12.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 NOK 1,206

$112 $112

15.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 NOK 1,943

$133 $133

57.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.7K

$1,848 $1,848

-37.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 NOK 9,762

$1,835 $1,835

-42.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 NOK 14.8K

$5,035 $5,035

-68.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 NOK 14.1K

$4,638 $4,638

-67.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,347 NOK 40.3K

$5,704 $5,704

-23.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,230 NOK 29.9K

$4,898 $4,898

-34.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,235 NOK 39.3K

$7,975 $7,975

-46.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

6.66

-29.73%

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

Last update for Arendal: October 27, 2026

Last update for Newton, MA: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arendal

$1.1K 38.3%

Newton, MA

$1.8K 53.1% 74.2% $782

Groceries & Markets

Arendal

$506 18.4%

Newton, MA

$466 13.5% 7.8% $39

Eating Out

Arendal

$389 14.2%

Newton, MA

$405 11.7% 4.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arendal

$376 13.7%

Newton, MA

$373 10.8% 0.9% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Arendal

$232 8.4%

Newton, MA

$167 4.8% 28.1% $65

Getting Around

Arendal

$125 4.5%

Newton, MA

$111 3.2% 10.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Arendal

$69 2.5%

Newton, MA

$96 2.8% 39.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,159 in Arendal and $1,848 in Newton, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newton, MA pays 88% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Arendal vs $121 in Newton, MA. Groceries flip the comparison at $506 vs $466, with Newton, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Arendal

🇺🇸 Newton, MA

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

08:55 8:55 AM

6 h behind Arendal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,406

85,146

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.79 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.27 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arendal Newton, MA 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Arendal
Newton, MA

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 Newton, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,750 in Arendal and $3,453 in Newton, MA, so Arendal is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Arendal. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,159 in Arendal versus $1,848 in Newton, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $335 in Arendal versus $2,654 in Newton, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Newton, MA pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 Newton, MA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Arendal wins on affordability, Newton, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.