Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,869 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Bergen
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,869
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,869 in Bergen versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Bergen $2,869
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,330 in Bergen versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Bergen $4,330
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,790 in Bergen versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Bergen $5,790
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Bergen is roughly 29% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 113% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bergen
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.37 NOK 220
$16.50 €14.67
41.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$134 NOK 1,263
$61.3 €54.5
119.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.56 NOK 147
$11.27 €10.03
38.07%
Cappuccino
$5.30 NOK 49.86
$3.06 €2.72
73.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 NOK 47.70
$2.26 €2.01
124.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.51 NOK 42.48
$1.73 €1.54
160.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.55 NOK 118
$3.39 €3.02
270.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.56 NOK 99.4
$3.40 €3.02
210.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bergen
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.19 NOK 20.66
$1.12 €1.00
95.54%
White Bread (500g)
$3.92 NOK 36.88
$1.86 €1.65
110.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.42 NOK 32.20
$1.53 €1.36
123.53%
Eggs
$6.34 NOK 59.7
$3.96 €3.53
60.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.80 NOK 139
$12.76 €11.35
15.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.41 NOK 164
$7.90 €7.02
120.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$36.51 NOK 344
$16.97 €15.09
115.14%
Apples (1kg)
$4.12 NOK 38.83
$2.27 €2.02
81.50%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 NOK 25.22
$1.75 €1.55
53.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.48 NOK 32.77
$1.85 €1.64
88.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.46 NOK 51.4
$2.57 €2.28
112.45%
Potato (1kg)
$2.51 NOK 23.59
$1.86 €1.65
34.95%
Onion (1kg)
$3.38 NOK 31.78
$2.02 €1.80
67.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.83 NOK 26.68
$1.44 €1.28
96.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 NOK 16.84
$0.82 €0.73
118.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.41 NOK 164
$6.56 €5.83
165.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.96 NOK 178
$5.62 €5.00
237.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.58 NOK 33.66
$1.28 €1.14
179.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.22 NOK 39.70
$2.07 €1.84
103.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Bergen
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.05 NOK 47.54
$2.35 €2.09
114.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$85.0 NOK 800
$44.18 €39.30
92.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.36 NOK 116
$3.99 €3.55
209.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.92 NOK 18.05
$1.09 €0.97
76.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$71.5 NOK 673
$16.64 €14.81
329.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.44 NOK 22.96
$2.28 €2.03
7.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.7K NOK 458.5K
$33.7K €30.0K
44.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.0K NOK 405.0K
$39.3K €35.0K
9.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bergen
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$281 NOK 2,641
$167 €149
67.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.84 NOK 309
$18.80 €16.72
74.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$81.5 NOK 767
$33.09 €29.43
146.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bergen
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.18 NOK 425
$46.01 €40.93
-1.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.91 NOK 404
$19.19 €17.07
123.61%
Cinema Ticket
$18.56 NOK 175
$9.84 €8.75
88.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bergen
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$239 NOK 2,251
$677 €602
-64.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K NOK 109.6K
$16.9K €15.1K
-31.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bergen
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$107 NOK 1,003
$101 €90.1
5.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.3 NOK 502
$45.76 €40.70
16.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 NOK 1,116
$100.0 €88.9
18.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 NOK 1,534
$123 €109
32.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bergen
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,483 NOK 14.0K
$1,614 €1,436
-8.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,117 NOK 10.5K
$1,197 €1,065
-6.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,327 NOK 21.9K
$2,862 €2,545
-18.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,714 NOK 16.1K
$1,990 €1,770
-13.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,835 NOK 73.8K
$7,577 €6,740
3.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,754 NOK 44.8K
$4,307 €3,831
10.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bergen
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,567 NOK 43.0K
$1,588 €1,412
187.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.27
3.85
36.88%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bergen
$1.1K
Lisbon
$1.2K 7.2% $80
Groceries & Markets
Bergen
$530
Lisbon
$269 49.2% $261
Eating Out
Bergen
$419
Lisbon
$242 42.2% $177
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bergen
$395
Lisbon
$219 44.4% $175
Clothing & Footwear
Bergen
$199
Lisbon
$166 16.2% $32
Getting Around
Bergen
$127
Lisbon
$63 50.5% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Bergen
$82
Lisbon
$66 20.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,483 in Bergen and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 188% 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: $134 in Bergen vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Bergen
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
01:41 1:41 AM
00:41 12:41 AM
1 h behind Bergen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
292,482
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bergen Lisbon 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bergen
  • Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Bergen?
Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Bergen or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 188% higher in Bergen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Bergen and Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,483 in Bergen versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $239 in Bergen versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Bergen and in Lisbon?
Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Bergen or in Lisbon?
At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,869 in Bergen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Bergen or Lisbon more family-friendly?
For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bergen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Bergen or Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Bergen and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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