Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Sandnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandnes: $2,684 a month against $3,582 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Sandnes
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Sandnes Living Index

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Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,582

/mo nomad

Sandnes

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,582 per month in Arlington, VA vs $2,684 in Sandnes, rent included.

Arlington, VA $3,582
Sandnes $2,684

A couple spends around $5,415 per month in Arlington, VA vs $4,176 in Sandnes, rent included.

Arlington, VA $5,415
Sandnes $4,176

A family of three spends $7,249 per month in Arlington, VA vs $5,667 in Sandnes, rent included.

Arlington, VA $7,249
Sandnes $5,667

Arlington, VA costs about 33% more than Sandnes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arlington, VA and Sandnes sit above the global median – Arlington, VA by 164%, Sandnes by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.99 $23.99

$24.80 NOK 233

-3.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$97.5 NOK 918

3.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.93 $10.93

$15.49 NOK 146

-29.44%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$5.71 NOK 53.7

1.23%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$3.41 NOK 32.10

-12.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.07 NOK 28.85

-20.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$13.93 NOK 131

-41.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.81 $8.81

$10.58 NOK 99.6

-16.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.44 NOK 22.94

-48.77%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.37 NOK 31.76

30.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$2.53 NOK 23.82

105.93%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$4.80 NOK 45.17

5.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.53 $21.53

$13.22 NOK 124

62.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.69 $15.69

$15.83 NOK 149

-0.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.56 $22.56

$31.80 NOK 299

-29.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.52 NOK 33.10

58.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.84 NOK 26.77

-33.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$3.17 NOK 29.86

43.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$4.92 NOK 46.32

16.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.61 NOK 24.57

24.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.32 NOK 21.80

61.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.88 NOK 27.14

-21.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.37 NOK 22.29

2.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$16.64 NOK 157

-41.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.20 $17.20

$17.08 NOK 161

0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.20 NOK 30.12

-11.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.23 NOK 39.83

-33.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 $2.74

$4.70 NOK 44.29

-41.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$121 $121

$85.4 NOK 803

41.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$6.43 NOK 60.6

-38.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.80 NOK 16.92

-32.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.92 $24.92

$48.81 NOK 460

-48.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.23 NOK 21.00

-52.91%

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$43.2K NOK 406.7K

-32.50%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$39.0K NOK 366.7K

-34.08%

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

$162 $162

$266 NOK 2,499

-39.09%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$34.10 NOK 321

51.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$79.3 NOK 746

-22.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 $71.4

$45.56 NOK 429

56.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.14 $19.14

$53.4 NOK 503

-64.15%

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 $16.58

$19.40 NOK 183

-14.54%

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

$1,572 $1,572

$292 NOK 2,748

438.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K $35.5K

$9,662 NOK 91.0K

267.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$127 NOK 1,200

-56.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$60.8 NOK 572

2.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$122 NOK 1,147

-14.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$189 NOK 1,782

-14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,452 $2,452

$1,333 NOK 12.6K

83.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$962 NOK 9,056

108.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,832 $4,832

$2,000 NOK 18.8K

141.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,600 $3,600

$1,820 NOK 17.1K

97.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,750 $5,750

$7,005 NOK 65.9K

-17.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,742 $4,742

$4,050 NOK 38.1K

17.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,973 $6,973

$3,781 NOK 35.6K

84.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.22

30.08%

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

Last update for Arlington, VA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sandnes: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, VA

$2K 56.1%

Sandnes

$962 35.8% 52.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, VA

$504 14.1%

Sandnes

$485 18.1% 3.9% $20

Eating Out

Arlington, VA

$374 10.4%

Sandnes

$430 16% 15% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, VA

$275 7.7%

Sandnes

$379 14.1% 37.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, VA

$173 4.8%

Sandnes

$225 8.4% 30.1% $52

Getting Around

Arlington, VA

$142 4%

Sandnes

$120 4.5% 15.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, VA

$105 2.9%

Sandnes

$84 3.1% 19.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,452 in Arlington, VA versus $1,333 in Sandnes. 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 84% 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 $98.0 in Sandnes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $504 vs $485 – making Sandnes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🇳🇴 Sandnes

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

6 h ahead of Arlington, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

83,958

💱 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 Sandnes 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, VA
Sandnes

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 Sandnes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, VA costs about 33% more than Sandnes, 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 $4,026 in Sandnes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 4% more in Arlington, VA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Arlington, VA and $98.0 in Sandnes. 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 $2,684 in Sandnes. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Sandnes – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Sandnes. 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.