Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bergen: $2,927 a month against $3,582 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arlington, VA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

173

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, VA
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Arlington, VA Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,582

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arlington, VA and in Bergen

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

A single person spends $3,582 per month in Arlington, VA vs $2,927 in Bergen, rent included.

Arlington, VA $3,582
Bergen $2,927

A couple spends around $5,415 per month in Arlington, VA vs $4,393 in Bergen, rent included.

Arlington, VA $5,415
Bergen $4,393

A family of three spends $7,249 per month in Arlington, VA vs $5,858 in Bergen, rent included.

Arlington, VA $7,249
Bergen $5,858

Arlington, VA costs about 22% more than Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arlington, VA and Bergen sit above the global median – Arlington, VA by 164%, Bergen by 116%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.99 $23.99

$23.86 NOK 225

0.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$137 NOK 1,286

-26.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.93 $10.93

$16.17 NOK 152

-32.41%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$5.48 NOK 51.6

5.47%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$5.34 NOK 50.3

-44.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$4.70 NOK 44.25

-48.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$12.76 NOK 120

-36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.81 $8.81

$10.67 NOK 100

-17.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.30 NOK 21.68

-45.65%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.86 NOK 36.32

13.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$3.57 NOK 33.60

45.94%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$6.30 NOK 59.3

-19.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.53 $21.53

$14.65 NOK 138

46.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.69 $15.69

$17.78 NOK 167

-11.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.56 $22.56

$37.46 NOK 353

-39.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$4.07 NOK 38.32

36.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.79 NOK 26.28

-32.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$3.63 NOK 34.16

25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$5.41 NOK 50.9

6.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.49 NOK 23.43

30.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.42 NOK 32.21

9.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.95 NOK 27.75

-23.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.79 NOK 16.83

36.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$17.71 NOK 167

-45.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.20 $17.20

$19.45 NOK 183

-11.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.68 NOK 34.63

-23.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.27 NOK 40.22

-33.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 $2.74

$5.30 NOK 49.93

-48.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$121 $121

$87.5 NOK 824

38.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$12.39 NOK 117

-68.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.87 NOK 17.62

-35.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.92 $24.92

$72.1 NOK 679

-65.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.39 NOK 22.51

-56.07%

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$49.4K NOK 465.3K

-41.00%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$44.8K NOK 422.1K

-42.74%

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

$162 $162

$287 NOK 2,698

-43.57%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$34.59 NOK 326

48.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$82.8 NOK 779

-25.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 $71.4

$45.58 NOK 429

56.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.14 $19.14

$43.31 NOK 408

-55.81%

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 $16.58

$19.31 NOK 182

-14.14%

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

$1,572 $1,572

$241 NOK 2,264

553.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K $35.5K

$12.1K NOK 113.5K

194.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$110 NOK 1,033

-49.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$54.2 NOK 510

14.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$118 NOK 1,107

-11.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$170 NOK 1,601

-4.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,452 $2,452

$1,495 NOK 14.1K

64.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$1,137 NOK 10.7K

76.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,832 $4,832

$2,323 NOK 21.9K

107.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,600 $3,600

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

111.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,750 $5,750

$7,803 NOK 73.5K

-26.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,742 $4,742

$4,919 NOK 46.3K

-3.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,973 $6,973

$4,675 NOK 44.0K

49.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.27

28.84%

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

Last update for Arlington, VA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, VA

$2K 56.1%

Bergen

$1.1K 38.8% 43.4% $873

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, VA

$504 14.1%

Bergen

$538 18.4% 6.8% $34

Eating Out

Arlington, VA

$374 10.4%

Bergen

$430 14.7% 15.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, VA

$275 7.7%

Bergen

$404 13.8% 46.9% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, VA

$173 4.8%

Bergen

$203 6.9% 17.7% $31

Getting Around

Arlington, VA

$142 4%

Bergen

$130 4.5% 8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, VA

$105 2.9%

Bergen

$84 2.9% 19.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,452 in Arlington, VA versus $1,495 in Bergen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 49% higher in Arlington, VA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Arlington, VA versus $137 in Bergen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $504 vs $538 – making Arlington, VA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

6 h ahead of Arlington, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

292,482

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, VA Bergen 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, VA
Bergen

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

Arlington, VA vs Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, VA costs about 22% more than Bergen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,373 per month in Arlington, VA and $4,391 in Bergen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bergen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Arlington, VA – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Arlington, VA and $137 in Bergen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,582 in Arlington, VA and $2,927 in Bergen. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bergen costs $2,927 versus $3,582 in Arlington, VA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bergen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arlington, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.