Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Lillehammer

For one person, living is cheaper in Lillehammer: $1,521 a month against $3,093 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Lillehammer
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Lillehammer Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,093

/mo nomad

Lillehammer

🇳🇴 Norway

$1,521

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Lillehammer

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,093 in Bergen versus $1,521 in Lillehammer.

Bergen $3,093
Lillehammer $1,521

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,619 in Bergen versus $2,414 in Lillehammer.

Bergen $4,619
Lillehammer $2,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,145 in Bergen versus $3,308 in Lillehammer.

Bergen $6,145
Lillehammer $3,308

Living in Bergen is roughly 103% more expensive than in Lillehammer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 127% above, Lillehammer 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.85 NOK 221

$17.22 NOK 159

38.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$141 NOK 1,307

$86.6 NOK 801

63.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.30 NOK 151

$14.65 NOK 136

11.26%

Cappuccino

$5.62 NOK 52.0

$5.04 NOK 46.64

11.51%

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

$5.19 NOK 48.02

$3.58 NOK 33.14

44.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 NOK 42.29

$2.42 NOK 22.35

88.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 NOK 119

$10.94 NOK 101

18.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.71 NOK 99.0

$7.37 NOK 68.2

45.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 21.70

$2.49 NOK 23.02

-5.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 NOK 35.45

$3.50 NOK 32.34

9.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 NOK 31.88

$3.69 NOK 34.15

-6.50%

Eggs

$6.67 NOK 61.7

$4.83 NOK 44.66

38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.89 NOK 138

$13.57 NOK 126

9.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.88 NOK 165

$17.04 NOK 158

4.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.65 NOK 348

$32.03 NOK 296

17.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NOK 37.94

$4.08 NOK 37.72

0.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 NOK 25.91

$3.05 NOK 28.18

-8.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 NOK 34.23

$3.94 NOK 36.46

-6.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 NOK 51.3

$5.69 NOK 52.7

-2.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 NOK 22.80

$2.99 NOK 27.64

-17.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 NOK 31.54

$3.04 NOK 28.08

12.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 NOK 28.47

$3.01 NOK 27.83

2.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 NOK 16.94

$2.27 NOK 21.02

-19.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.65 NOK 163

$17.85 NOK 165

-1.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 NOK 183

$19.12 NOK 177

3.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.83 NOK 35.41

$3.59 NOK 33.25

6.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NOK 41.06

$4.79 NOK 44.35

-7.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.32 NOK 49.25

$2.41 NOK 22.34

120.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 NOK 823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.82 NOK 119

$9.64 NOK 89.2

32.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 NOK 18.07

$1.64 NOK 15.18

18.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$74.9 NOK 693

$60.9 NOK 563

23.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.26

$2.47 NOK 22.82

-2.43%

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

$50.1K NOK 463.1K

$47.0K NOK 434.4K

6.61%

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

$44.8K NOK 414.1K

$46.9K NOK 433.9K

-4.56%

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

$292 NOK 2,697

$281 NOK 2,602

3.68%

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

$33.90 NOK 314

$35.85 NOK 332

-5.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.1 NOK 787

$82.3 NOK 761

3.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.43 NOK 448

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.06 NOK 408

Cinema Ticket

$19.28 NOK 178

$19.23 NOK 178

0.26%

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

$251 NOK 2,321

$303 NOK 2,806

-17.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 110.8K

$4,579 NOK 42.4K

161.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 NOK 996

$110 NOK 1,017

-2.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 NOK 519

$52.6 NOK 486

6.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NOK 1,111

$125 NOK 1,154

-3.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 NOK 1,535

$159 NOK 1,467

4.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 NOK 15.1K

$1,090 NOK 10.1K

49.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 NOK 11.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 NOK 24.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 NOK 17.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,228 NOK 76.1K

$3,392 NOK 31.4K

142.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,382 NOK 49.8K

$1,373 NOK 12.7K

292.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,732 NOK 43.8K

$2,148 NOK 19.9K

120.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

5.32

-0.94%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lillehammer: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.3K 41.5%

Lillehammer

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$545 17.6%

Lillehammer

$519 34.1% 4.8% $26

Eating Out

Bergen

$432 14%

Lillehammer

$336 22.1% 22.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$411 13.3%

Lillehammer

$399 26.3% 2.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$202 6.5%

Lillehammer

$201 13.2% 0.8% $1.7

Getting Around

Bergen

$133 4.3%

Lillehammer

$28 * 1.8% 79.3% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$87 2.8%

Lillehammer

$38 * 2.5% 55.8% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,627 in Bergen and $1,090 in Lillehammer. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $141 in Bergen vs $87 in Lillehammer for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $545 vs $519 per month, with Lillehammer cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Lillehammer

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

28,831

💱 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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Bergen Lillehammer 290 km

From you

Bergen
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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 Lillehammer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lillehammer is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Bergen is about 2.2 times higher, 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 $1,090 in Lillehammer. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Bergen versus $303 in Lillehammer. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lillehammer – a meal for two runs $87 versus $141 in Bergen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lillehammer 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 Lillehammer are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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