Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Halden

For one person, living is cheaper in Halden: $2,619 a month against $3,093 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
Learn more

Bergen Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Halden
Learn more

Halden Living Index

Jump to prices

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,093

/mo nomad

Halden

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Halden

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,093 in Bergen versus $2,619 in Halden.

Bergen $3,093
Halden $2,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,619 in Bergen versus $4,046 in Halden.

Bergen $4,619
Halden $4,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,145 in Bergen versus $5,474 in Halden.

Bergen $6,145
Halden $5,474

Living in Bergen is roughly 18% more expensive than in Halden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 127% above, Halden 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.85 NOK 220

$21.23 NOK 196

12.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$141 NOK 1,302

$107 NOK 990

31.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.30 NOK 150

$13.13 NOK 121

24.14%

Cappuccino

$5.62 NOK 51.8

$4.92 NOK 45.35

14.23%

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

$5.19 NOK 47.85

$3.80 NOK 35.03

36.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 NOK 42.13

$3.15 NOK 29.04

45.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 NOK 119

$10.45 NOK 96.3

23.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.71 NOK 98.7

$9.69 NOK 89.3

10.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 21.62

$2.41 NOK 22.17

-2.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 NOK 35.32

$4.16 NOK 38.32

-7.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 NOK 31.77

$4.26 NOK 39.30

-19.01%

Eggs

$6.67 NOK 61.5

$4.83 NOK 44.52

38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.89 NOK 137

$15.04 NOK 139

-1.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.88 NOK 165

$15.64 NOK 144

14.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.65 NOK 347

$31.68 NOK 292

18.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NOK 37.80

$3.39 NOK 31.22

20.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 NOK 25.82

$2.67 NOK 24.63

4.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 NOK 34.11

$3.46 NOK 31.93

6.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 NOK 51.1

$4.01 NOK 36.94

38.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 NOK 22.72

$2.60 NOK 23.98

-5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 NOK 31.42

$2.99 NOK 27.53

14.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 NOK 28.37

$3.18 NOK 29.28

-3.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 NOK 16.88

$2.18 NOK 20.14

-16.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.65 NOK 163

$15.26 NOK 141

15.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 NOK 182

$16.77 NOK 155

17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.83 NOK 35.28

$2.76 NOK 25.44

38.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NOK 40.91

$4.01 NOK 36.99

10.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.32 NOK 49.07

$4.90 NOK 45.16

8.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 NOK 820

$44.29 NOK 408

100.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.82 NOK 118

$12.32 NOK 114

4.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 NOK 18.00

$1.84 NOK 16.94

5.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$74.9 NOK 690

$71.4 NOK 658

4.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.18

$2.27 NOK 20.92

6.17%

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

$50.1K NOK 461.4K

$49.9K NOK 459.8K

0.36%

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

$44.8K NOK 412.6K

$45.9K NOK 423.1K

-2.48%

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

$292 NOK 2,688

$427 NOK 3,934

-31.68%

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

$33.90 NOK 312

$32.04 NOK 295

5.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.1 NOK 784

$54.4 NOK 501

56.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.43 NOK 446

$57.9 NOK 534

-16.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.06 NOK 406

$32.18 NOK 297

36.92%

Cinema Ticket

$19.28 NOK 178

$16.84 NOK 155

14.49%

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

$251 NOK 2,312

$241 NOK 2,225

3.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 110.4K

$15.6K NOK 144.0K

-23.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 NOK 992

$103 NOK 950

4.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 NOK 517

$61.0 NOK 562

-8.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NOK 1,107

$135 NOK 1,243

-10.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 NOK 1,529

$127 NOK 1,170

30.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 NOK 15.0K

$964 NOK 8,884

68.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 NOK 11.8K

$874 NOK 8,052

46.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 NOK 24.6K

$2,006 NOK 18.5K

32.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 NOK 17.8K

$1,692 NOK 15.6K

13.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,228 NOK 75.8K

$2,177 NOK 20.1K

277.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,382 NOK 49.6K

$1,907 NOK 17.6K

182.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,732 NOK 43.6K

$3,598 NOK 33.2K

31.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.75

10.95%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 26, 2026

Last update for Halden: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.3K 41.5%

Halden

$874 33.4% 31.9% $410

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$545 17.6%

Halden

$495 18.9% 9.1% $50

Eating Out

Bergen

$432 14%

Halden

$368 14% 14.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$411 13.3%

Halden

$513 19.6% 25% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$202 6.5%

Halden

$192 7.3% 5.3% $11

Getting Around

Bergen

$133 4.3%

Halden

$85 3.3% 35.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$87 2.8%

Halden

$92 3.5% 5.3% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,627 in Bergen and $964 in Halden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $141 in Bergen vs $107 in Halden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $545 vs $495 per month, with Halden cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Halden

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

31,965

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 EUR

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bergen Halden 380 km

From you

Bergen
Halden

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 Halden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Halden is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% 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 $964 in Halden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Bergen versus $241 in Halden. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,619 in Halden versus $3,093 in Bergen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Halden but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Halden 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 Halden are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Halden gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.