Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Grimstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Grimstad: $2,179 a month against $3,093 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Grimstad
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Grimstad Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,093

/mo nomad

Grimstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,179

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Grimstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,093 in Bergen versus $2,179 in Grimstad.

Bergen $3,093
Grimstad $2,179

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,619 in Bergen versus $3,734 in Grimstad.

Bergen $4,619
Grimstad $3,734

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,145 in Bergen versus $5,290 in Grimstad.

Bergen $6,145
Grimstad $5,290

Living in Bergen is roughly 42% more expensive than in Grimstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 127% above, Grimstad 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.85 NOK 221

$21.29 NOK 197

12.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$141 NOK 1,307

$79.4 NOK 734

78.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.30 NOK 151

$15.38 NOK 142

5.98%

Cappuccino

$5.62 NOK 52.0

$4.87 NOK 45.06

15.40%

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

$5.19 NOK 48.02

$4.20 NOK 38.82

23.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 NOK 42.29

$3.41 NOK 31.51

34.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 NOK 119

$11.76 NOK 109

9.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.71 NOK 99.0

$10.54 NOK 97.5

1.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 21.70

$2.65 NOK 24.48

-11.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 NOK 35.45

$3.74 NOK 34.55

2.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 NOK 31.88

$3.24 NOK 29.94

6.48%

Eggs

$6.67 NOK 61.7

$3.60 NOK 33.27

85.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.89 NOK 138

$12.94 NOK 120

15.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.88 NOK 165

$14.43 NOK 133

23.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.65 NOK 348

$24.57 NOK 227

53.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NOK 37.94

$2.17 NOK 20.10

88.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 NOK 25.91

$2.47 NOK 22.83

13.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 NOK 34.23

$3.57 NOK 33.05

3.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 NOK 51.3

$4.38 NOK 40.54

26.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 NOK 22.80

$2.73 NOK 25.26

-9.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 NOK 31.54

$2.92 NOK 27.00

16.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 NOK 28.47

$3.25 NOK 30.05

-5.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 NOK 16.94

$1.86 NOK 17.18

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.65 NOK 163

$19.23 NOK 178

-8.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 NOK 183

$16.29 NOK 151

21.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.83 NOK 35.41

$3.52 NOK 32.57

8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NOK 41.06

$4.28 NOK 39.60

3.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.32 NOK 49.25

$5.27 NOK 48.74

0.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 NOK 823

$92.6 NOK 856

-3.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.82 NOK 119

$12.16 NOK 112

5.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 NOK 18.07

$1.84 NOK 17.01

5.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$74.9 NOK 693

$72.4 NOK 670

3.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.26

$2.36 NOK 21.79

2.12%

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

$50.1K NOK 463.1K

$50.2K NOK 464.2K

-0.22%

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

$44.8K NOK 414.1K

$45.0K NOK 416.7K

-0.61%

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

$292 NOK 2,697

$314 NOK 2,900

-7.00%

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

$33.90 NOK 314

$34.50 NOK 319

-1.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.1 NOK 787

$55.8 NOK 516

52.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.43 NOK 448

$43.72 NOK 404

10.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.06 NOK 408

Cinema Ticket

$19.28 NOK 178

$16.41 NOK 152

17.49%

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

$251 NOK 2,321

$242 NOK 2,242

3.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 110.8K

$15.9K NOK 147.5K

-24.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 NOK 996

$94.8 NOK 877

13.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 NOK 519

$53.1 NOK 491

5.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NOK 1,111

$106 NOK 981

13.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 NOK 1,535

$163 NOK 1,504

2.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 NOK 15.1K

$902 NOK 8,346

80.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 NOK 11.9K

$545 NOK 5,041

135.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 NOK 24.7K

$1,988 NOK 18.4K

34.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 NOK 17.8K

$1,825 NOK 16.9K

5.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,228 NOK 76.1K

$4,724 NOK 43.7K

74.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,382 NOK 49.8K

$3,502 NOK 32.4K

53.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,732 NOK 43.8K

$4,577 NOK 42.3K

3.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.9

7.55%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 26, 2026

Last update for Grimstad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.3K 41.5%

Grimstad

$545 25% 57.5% $739

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$545 17.6%

Grimstad

$446 20.5% 18.2% $99

Eating Out

Bergen

$432 14%

Grimstad

$385 17.7% 10.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$411 13.3%

Grimstad

$404 18.5% 1.6% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$202 6.5%

Grimstad

$187 8.6% 7.4% $15

Getting Around

Bergen

$133 4.3%

Grimstad

$135 6.2% 1.6% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$87 2.8%

Grimstad

$77 3.5% 12% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,627 in Bergen and $902 in Grimstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 3% 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: $141 in Bergen vs $79 in Grimstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $545 vs $446 per month, with Grimstad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Grimstad

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

25,093

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.81 USD

100 NOK = 9.71 EUR

100 NOK = 10.81 USD

100 NOK = 9.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bergen Grimstad 290 km

From you

Bergen
Grimstad

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 Grimstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grimstad is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% 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: $1,627 in Bergen versus $902 in Grimstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Bergen versus $242 in Grimstad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,179 in Grimstad versus $3,093 in Bergen, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Grimstad but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Grimstad 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 Grimstad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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