Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Kongsberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Kongsberg: $2,733 a month against $3,093 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Kongsberg
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Kongsberg Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,093

/mo nomad

Kongsberg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Kongsberg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,093 in Bergen versus $2,733 in Kongsberg.

Bergen $3,093
Kongsberg $2,733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,619 in Bergen versus $4,003 in Kongsberg.

Bergen $4,619
Kongsberg $4,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,145 in Bergen versus $5,273 in Kongsberg.

Bergen $6,145
Kongsberg $5,273

Living in Bergen is roughly 13% more expensive than in Kongsberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 127% above, Kongsberg 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.85 NOK 221

$21.54 NOK 200

10.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$141 NOK 1,310

$74.6 NOK 691

89.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.30 NOK 151

$16.41 NOK 152

-0.67%

Cappuccino

$5.62 NOK 52.1

$5.31 NOK 49.18

5.84%

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

$5.19 NOK 48.12

$4.51 NOK 41.78

15.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 NOK 42.37

$3.35 NOK 31.09

36.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 NOK 120

$12.01 NOK 111

7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.71 NOK 99.2

$10.81 NOK 100

-0.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 21.74

$2.60 NOK 24.09

-9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 NOK 35.52

$3.19 NOK 29.58

20.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 NOK 31.95

$4.75 NOK 44.05

-27.37%

Eggs

$6.67 NOK 61.8

$5.14 NOK 47.68

29.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.89 NOK 138

$10.90 NOK 101

36.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.88 NOK 166

$12.75 NOK 118

40.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.65 NOK 349

$18.75 NOK 174

100.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NOK 38.02

$3.21 NOK 29.73

27.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 NOK 25.97

$2.77 NOK 25.64

1.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 NOK 34.30

$3.47 NOK 32.17

6.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 NOK 51.4

$5.07 NOK 47.02

9.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 NOK 22.85

$2.63 NOK 24.38

-6.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 NOK 31.60

$2.64 NOK 24.42

29.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 NOK 28.53

$3.18 NOK 29.49

-3.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 NOK 16.98

$2.53 NOK 23.48

-27.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.65 NOK 164

$17.99 NOK 167

-1.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 NOK 183

$16.42 NOK 152

20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.83 NOK 35.48

$3.64 NOK 33.76

5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NOK 41.14

$3.91 NOK 36.20

13.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.32 NOK 49.35

$3.17 NOK 29.37

67.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 NOK 825

$95.9 NOK 889

-7.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.82 NOK 119

$12.11 NOK 112

5.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 NOK 18.10

$1.83 NOK 17.00

6.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$74.9 NOK 694

$32.51 NOK 301

130.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.31

$2.39 NOK 22.17

0.84%

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

$50.1K NOK 464.0K

$49.5K NOK 458.4K

1.23%

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

$44.8K NOK 414.9K

$45.5K NOK 421.5K

-1.56%

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

$292 NOK 2,703

$318 NOK 2,950

-8.38%

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

$33.90 NOK 314

$28.53 NOK 264

18.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.1 NOK 789

$54.4 NOK 505

56.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.43 NOK 449

$48.00 NOK 445

0.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.06 NOK 408

$58.5 NOK 543

-24.72%

Cinema Ticket

$19.28 NOK 179

$20.59 NOK 191

-6.36%

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

$251 NOK 2,325

$245 NOK 2,269

2.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 111.0K

$3,922 NOK 36.3K

205.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 NOK 998

$94.0 NOK 872

14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 NOK 520

$55.1 NOK 511

1.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NOK 1,113

$134 NOK 1,244

-10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 NOK 1,538

$159 NOK 1,473

4.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 NOK 15.1K

$1,075 NOK 9,965

51.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 NOK 11.9K

$1,078 NOK 9,994

19.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 NOK 24.7K

$1,973 NOK 18.3K

35.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 NOK 17.9K

$1,749 NOK 16.2K

10.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,228 NOK 76.3K

$6,377 NOK 59.1K

29.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,382 NOK 49.9K

$4,352 NOK 40.3K

23.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,732 NOK 43.9K

$3,667 NOK 34.0K

29.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.94

6.68%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kongsberg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.3K 41.5%

Kongsberg

$1.1K 39.5% 16% $205

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$545 17.6%

Kongsberg

$437 16% 19.8% $108

Eating Out

Bergen

$432 14%

Kongsberg

$398 14.6% 7.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$411 13.3%

Kongsberg

$401 14.7% 2.3% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$202 6.5%

Kongsberg

$199 7.3% 1.6% $3.3

Getting Around

Bergen

$133 4.3%

Kongsberg

$130 4.8% 2.3% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$87 2.8%

Kongsberg

$89 3.3% 2.5% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,627 in Bergen and $1,075 in Kongsberg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $141 in Bergen vs $75 in Kongsberg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $545 vs $437 per month, with Kongsberg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Kongsberg

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

28,878

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.79 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.79 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bergen Kongsberg 260 km

From you

Bergen
Kongsberg

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 Kongsberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kongsberg is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% 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 $1,075 in Kongsberg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Bergen versus $245 in Kongsberg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Kongsberg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Kongsberg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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