Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arendal and Trondheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,750 a month against $3,027 in Trondheim, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index
145

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
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Trondheim Living Index

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Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,750

/mo nomad

Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arendal and in Trondheim

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,750 in Arendal versus $3,027 in Trondheim.

Arendal $2,750
Trondheim $3,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,932 in Arendal versus $4,390 in Trondheim.

Arendal $3,932
Trondheim $4,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,113 in Arendal versus $5,752 in Trondheim.

Arendal $5,113
Trondheim $5,752

Living in Arendal costs roughly 9% less than in Trondheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arendal 102% above, Trondheim 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 NOK 193

$21.10 NOK 197

-1.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 NOK 626

$108 NOK 1,012

-38.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.06 NOK 150

$16.26 NOK 152

-1.23%

Cappuccino

$5.51 NOK 51.4

$5.58 NOK 52.1

-1.25%

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

$3.75 NOK 35.04

$5.90 NOK 55.1

-36.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 NOK 31.91

$4.40 NOK 41.03

-22.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.85 NOK 111

$13.21 NOK 123

-10.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.58 NOK 98.8

$13.16 NOK 123

-19.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 NOK 23.25

$2.52 NOK 23.49

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 NOK 33.13

$3.55 NOK 33.11

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 37.42

$3.83 NOK 35.77

4.70%

Eggs

$4.76 NOK 44.44

$5.01 NOK 46.72

-4.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.98 NOK 140

$13.20 NOK 123

13.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 NOK 139

$17.00 NOK 159

-12.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.94 NOK 326

$32.32 NOK 302

8.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 33.65

$4.01 NOK 37.43

-9.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 NOK 25.67

$3.05 NOK 28.49

-9.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.54

$3.87 NOK 36.14

-9.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 NOK 46.56

$5.60 NOK 52.2

-10.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 NOK 23.90

$2.98 NOK 27.80

-14.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 NOK 29.48

$3.03 NOK 28.30

4.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 27.09

$2.98 NOK 27.79

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 NOK 22.64

$2.35 NOK 21.98

2.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.37 NOK 171

$18.01 NOK 168

2.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 NOK 141

$18.61 NOK 174

-19.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 34.94

$3.68 NOK 34.34

1.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 NOK 41.50

$4.53 NOK 42.26

-1.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.78 NOK 35.29

$4.86 NOK 45.32

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.4 NOK 881

$102 NOK 955

-7.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 NOK 59.4

$9.63 NOK 89.9

-33.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NOK 16.96

$1.64 NOK 15.33

10.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$108 NOK 1,012

$61.7 NOK 576

75.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 21.77

$2.54 NOK 23.71

-8.27%

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

$49.6K NOK 463.4K

$46.3K NOK 432.4K

7.16%

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

$41.7K NOK 389.4K

$46.2K NOK 431.0K

-9.66%

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

$263 NOK 2,452

$281 NOK 2,621

-6.45%

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

$34.00 NOK 317

$36.31 NOK 339

-6.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.7 NOK 744

$84.9 NOK 793

-6.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.05 NOK 346

$45.31 NOK 423

-18.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.99 NOK 383

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 NOK 148

$19.70 NOK 184

-19.29%

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

$335 NOK 3,123

$305 NOK 2,843

9.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K NOK 135.6K

$4,591 NOK 42.9K

216.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$131 NOK 1,218

$109 NOK 1,014

20.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.64 NOK 417

$51.4 NOK 480

-13.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 NOK 1,215

$121 NOK 1,130

7.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 NOK 1,957

$158 NOK 1,479

32.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.8K

$1,635 NOK 15.3K

-29.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 NOK 9,831

$1,266 NOK 11.8K

-16.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 NOK 14.9K

$2,320 NOK 21.7K

-31.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 NOK 14.2K

$1,817 NOK 17.0K

-16.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,347 NOK 40.6K

$6,610 NOK 61.7K

-34.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,230 NOK 30.1K

$4,997 NOK 46.6K

-35.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,235 NOK 39.5K

$4,392 NOK 41.0K

-3.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

5.32

-12.03%

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

Last update for Arendal: October 27, 2026

Last update for Trondheim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arendal

$1.1K 38.3%

Trondheim

$1.3K 41.8% 20.2% $213

Groceries & Markets

Arendal

$506 18.4%

Trondheim

$519 17.2% 2.6% $13

Eating Out

Arendal

$389 14.2%

Trondheim

$418 13.8% 7.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arendal

$376 13.7%

Trondheim

$402 13.3% 6.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Arendal

$232 8.4%

Trondheim

$198 6.5% 14.7% $34

Getting Around

Arendal

$125 4.5%

Trondheim

$140 4.6% 11.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Arendal

$69 2.5%

Trondheim

$85 2.8% 23.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,159 in Arendal and $1,635 in Trondheim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trondheim pays 4% 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: $67 in Arendal vs $108 in Trondheim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $506 vs $519 per month, with Arendal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Arendal

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

Same time as Arendal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,406

215,121

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.71 USD

100 NOK = 9.63 EUR

100 NOK = 10.71 USD

100 NOK = 9.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arendal Trondheim 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arendal
Trondheim

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 Trondheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arendal and Trondheim differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,750 vs $3,027 including rent). Arendal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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 $1,635 in Trondheim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $335 in Arendal versus $305 in Trondheim. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Trondheim. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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