Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Drammen

For one person, living is cheaper in Drammen: $2,696 a month against $3,086 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Drammen
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Drammen Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,086

/mo nomad

Drammen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Drammen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,086 in Bergen versus $2,696 in Drammen.

Bergen $3,086
Drammen $2,696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,601 in Bergen versus $4,113 in Drammen.

Bergen $4,601
Drammen $4,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,117 in Bergen versus $5,529 in Drammen.

Bergen $6,117
Drammen $5,529

Living in Bergen is roughly 14% more expensive than in Drammen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 128% above, Drammen 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.42 NOK 227

$21.61 NOK 201

13.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$140 NOK 1,303

$130 NOK 1,210

7.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.86 NOK 147

$11.24 NOK 104

41.10%

Cappuccino

$5.53 NOK 51.3

$5.18 NOK 48.03

6.76%

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

$5.30 NOK 49.19

$4.16 NOK 38.61

27.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 NOK 43.81

$2.05 NOK 19.03

130.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.62 NOK 117

$11.65 NOK 108

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.66 NOK 98.9

$6.84 NOK 63.5

55.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.02

$2.61 NOK 24.24

-13.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 NOK 36.22

$4.05 NOK 37.58

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.57

$4.86 NOK 45.08

-25.51%

Eggs

$6.67 NOK 61.9

$4.92 NOK 45.65

35.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.80 NOK 137

$13.72 NOK 127

7.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.76 NOK 165

$16.40 NOK 152

8.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.47 NOK 348

$31.86 NOK 296

17.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 NOK 38.10

$3.36 NOK 31.21

22.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 24.78

$2.75 NOK 25.55

-2.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 NOK 32.21

$3.65 NOK 33.90

-4.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 NOK 52.9

$5.95 NOK 55.2

-4.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.71

$2.84 NOK 26.33

-10.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 NOK 31.00

$3.00 NOK 27.83

11.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.95 NOK 27.39

$3.08 NOK 28.62

-4.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 NOK 17.30

$2.51 NOK 23.32

-25.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.04 NOK 167

$17.16 NOK 159

5.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.81 NOK 184

$16.34 NOK 152

21.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 NOK 33.99

$3.56 NOK 33.01

2.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 42.05

$4.23 NOK 39.29

7.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.61 NOK 52.1

$3.47 NOK 32.20

61.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.2 NOK 818

$94.2 NOK 874

-6.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.63 NOK 117

$12.38 NOK 115

2.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 NOK 17.50

$1.86 NOK 17.24

1.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.0 NOK 677

$70.2 NOK 652

3.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.36

$2.35 NOK 21.83

2.55%

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

$49.5K NOK 459.7K

$46.8K NOK 434.4K

5.84%

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

$44.6K NOK 414.0K

$45.8K NOK 424.8K

-2.53%

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

$292 NOK 2,713

$272 NOK 2,525

7.46%

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

$35.42 NOK 329

$35.30 NOK 328

0.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.0 NOK 733

$54.6 NOK 507

44.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.83 NOK 435

$82.1 NOK 762

-42.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.17 NOK 410

Cinema Ticket

$19.31 NOK 179

$18.26 NOK 169

5.75%

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

$243 NOK 2,252

$241 NOK 2,240

0.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K NOK 144.3K

$17.5K NOK 162.3K

-11.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 NOK 1,066

$101 NOK 939

13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 NOK 512

$60.7 NOK 563

-9.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 NOK 1,081

$131 NOK 1,220

-11.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 NOK 1,507

$155 NOK 1,439

4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 NOK 15.0K

$1,339 NOK 12.4K

20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 NOK 11.9K

$1,001 NOK 9,285

28.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 NOK 24.5K

$2,141 NOK 19.9K

23.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,911 NOK 17.7K

$1,605 NOK 14.9K

19.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,204 NOK 76.1K

$10.9K NOK 101.4K

-24.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,269 NOK 48.9K

$6,515 NOK 60.5K

-19.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,937 NOK 45.8K

$3,651 NOK 33.9K

35.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.54

16.08%

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

Last update for Bergen: November 3, 2026

Last update for Drammen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.3K 41.6%

Drammen

$1K 37.1% 22% $282

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$543 17.6%

Drammen

$518 19.2% 4.6% $25

Eating Out

Bergen

$434 14.1%

Drammen

$366 13.6% 15.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$407 13.2%

Drammen

$362 13.4% 11% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$202 6.6%

Drammen

$202 7.5% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Bergen

$133 4.3%

Drammen

$130 4.8% 2.2% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$85 2.8%

Drammen

$119 4.4% 38.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,613 in Bergen and $1,339 in Drammen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $140 in Bergen vs $130 in Drammen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $543 vs $518 per month, with Drammen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Drammen

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

104,625

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 EUR

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bergen Drammen 280 km

From you

Bergen
Drammen

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

Bergen vs Drammen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drammen is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Bergen, 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: $1,613 in Bergen versus $1,339 in Drammen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $243 in Bergen versus $241 in Drammen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,696 in Drammen versus $3,086 in Bergen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Drammen but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Drammen 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, Bergen and Drammen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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