Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Lillestrom

For one person, living is cheaper in Lillestrom: $2,741 a month against $3,093 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,093

/mo nomad

Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Lillestrom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,093 in Bergen versus $2,741 in Lillestrom.

Bergen $3,093
Lillestrom $2,741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,619 in Bergen versus $4,180 in Lillestrom.

Bergen $4,619
Lillestrom $4,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,145 in Bergen versus $5,619 in Lillestrom.

Bergen $6,145
Lillestrom $5,619

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.85 NOK 221

$21.75 NOK 202

9.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$141 NOK 1,310

$125 NOK 1,157

13.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.30 NOK 151

$11.47 NOK 106

42.11%

Cappuccino

$5.62 NOK 52.1

$6.10 NOK 56.6

-7.87%

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

$5.19 NOK 48.12

$4.24 NOK 39.29

22.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 NOK 42.37

$3.23 NOK 29.97

41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 NOK 120

$12.28 NOK 114

5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.71 NOK 99.2

$10.79 NOK 100

-0.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 21.74

$2.53 NOK 23.43

-7.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 NOK 35.52

$3.87 NOK 35.89

-1.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 NOK 31.95

$4.21 NOK 39.00

-18.05%

Eggs

$6.67 NOK 61.8

$5.97 NOK 55.3

11.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.89 NOK 138

$13.55 NOK 126

9.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.88 NOK 166

$13.90 NOK 129

28.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.65 NOK 349

$28.81 NOK 267

30.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NOK 38.02

$3.54 NOK 32.84

15.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 NOK 25.97

$2.86 NOK 26.48

-2.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 NOK 34.30

$4.25 NOK 39.44

-12.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 NOK 51.4

$5.49 NOK 50.8

0.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 NOK 22.85

$2.91 NOK 27.00

-15.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 NOK 31.60

$3.62 NOK 33.57

-5.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 NOK 28.53

$1.85 NOK 17.13

66.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 NOK 16.98

$2.43 NOK 22.48

-24.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.65 NOK 164

$17.85 NOK 165

-1.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 NOK 183

$16.97 NOK 157

16.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.83 NOK 35.48

$5.58 NOK 51.7

-31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NOK 41.14

$5.87 NOK 54.4

-24.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.32 NOK 49.35

$4.82 NOK 44.63

10.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 NOK 825

$85.7 NOK 794

3.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.82 NOK 119

$10.53 NOK 97.6

21.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 NOK 18.10

$1.78 NOK 16.46

9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$74.9 NOK 694

$70.1 NOK 650

6.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.31

$2.27 NOK 21.01

6.17%

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

$50.1K NOK 464.0K

$48.9K NOK 453.3K

2.37%

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

$44.8K NOK 414.9K

$40.7K NOK 377.6K

9.88%

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

$292 NOK 2,703

$276 NOK 2,558

5.66%

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

$33.90 NOK 314

$39.04 NOK 362

-13.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.1 NOK 789

$50.8 NOK 470

67.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.43 NOK 449

$50.3 NOK 467

-3.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.06 NOK 408

$37.67 NOK 349

16.96%

Cinema Ticket

$19.28 NOK 179

$17.42 NOK 161

10.68%

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

$251 NOK 2,325

$325 NOK 3,009

-22.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 111.0K

$13.5K NOK 124.8K

-11.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 NOK 998

$101 NOK 937

6.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 NOK 520

$57.7 NOK 535

-2.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NOK 1,113

$130 NOK 1,204

-7.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 NOK 1,538

$159 NOK 1,471

4.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 NOK 15.1K

$1,312 NOK 12.2K

24.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 NOK 11.9K

$1,063 NOK 9,855

20.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 NOK 24.7K

$2,112 NOK 19.6K

26.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 NOK 17.9K

$1,733 NOK 16.1K

11.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,228 NOK 76.3K

$6,073 NOK 56.3K

35.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,382 NOK 49.9K

$3,918 NOK 36.3K

37.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,732 NOK 43.9K

$3,803 NOK 35.3K

24.41%

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 Lillestrom: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.3K 41.5%

Lillestrom

$1.1K 38.8% 17.2% $220

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$545 17.6%

Lillestrom

$507 18.5% 7.1% $38

Eating Out

Bergen

$432 14%

Lillestrom

$394 14.4% 8.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$411 13.3%

Lillestrom

$366 13.3% 10.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$202 6.5%

Lillestrom

$201 7.4% 0.5% $1

Getting Around

Bergen

$133 4.3%

Lillestrom

$124 4.5% 6.4% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$87 2.8%

Lillestrom

$85 3.1% 2.1% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,627 in Bergen and $1,312 in Lillestrom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $141 in Bergen vs $125 in Lillestrom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $545 vs $507 per month, with Lillestrom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

94,585

💱 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

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Bergen Lillestrom 330 km

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bergen vs Lillestrom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lillestrom is about 11% 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 24% 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 $1,312 in Lillestrom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Bergen versus $325 in Lillestrom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Lillestrom 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 Lillestrom are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lillestrom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.