Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Ridgecrest, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ridgecrest, CA: $2,432 a month against $2,927 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bergen
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,927
/mo nomad
Ridgecrest, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,432
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Ridgecrest, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,927 in Bergen versus $2,432 in Ridgecrest, CA.

  • Bergen $2,927
  • Ridgecrest, CA $2,432

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,393 in Bergen versus $3,820 in Ridgecrest, CA.

  • Bergen $4,393
  • Ridgecrest, CA $3,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,858 in Bergen versus $5,208 in Ridgecrest, CA.

  • Bergen $5,858
  • Ridgecrest, CA $5,208

Living in Bergen is roughly 20% more expensive than in Ridgecrest, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 116% above, Ridgecrest, CA 79% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bergen
Ridgecrest, CA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.86 NOK 225
$22.06 $22.06
8.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$137 NOK 1,286
$88.3 $88.3
54.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.17 NOK 152
$15.22 $15.22
6.24%
Cappuccino
$5.48 NOK 51.6
$6.05 $6.05
-9.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.34 NOK 50.3
$2.95 $2.95
81.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.70 NOK 44.25
$1.98 $1.98
137.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.76 NOK 120
$7.81 $7.81
63.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.67 NOK 100
$10.97 $10.97
-2.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bergen
Ridgecrest, CA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.30 NOK 21.68
$1.04 $1.04
121.15%
White Bread (500g)
$3.86 NOK 36.32
$4.70 $4.70
-17.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.57 NOK 33.60
$7.22 $7.22
-50.55%
Eggs
$6.30 NOK 59.3
$5.15 $5.15
22.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.65 NOK 138
$19.46 $19.46
-24.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.78 NOK 167
$14.52 $14.52
22.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$37.46 NOK 353
$21.78 $21.78
71.99%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 NOK 38.32
$8.21 $8.21
-50.43%
Banana (1kg)
$2.79 NOK 26.28
$3.29 $3.29
-15.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.63 NOK 34.16
$6.13 $6.13
-40.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.41 NOK 50.9
$10.15 $10.15
-46.70%
Potato (1kg)
$2.49 NOK 23.43
$8.44 $8.44
-70.50%
Onion (1kg)
$3.42 NOK 32.21
$4.90 $4.90
-30.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.95 NOK 27.75
$3.44 $3.44
-14.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 NOK 16.83
$2.67 $2.67
-32.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.71 NOK 167
$11.80 $11.80
50.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.45 NOK 183
$16.09 $16.09
20.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.68 NOK 34.63
$2.22 $2.22
65.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.27 NOK 40.22
$4.63 $4.63
-7.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Bergen
Ridgecrest, CA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.30 NOK 49.93
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$87.5 NOK 824
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.39 NOK 117
$2.92 $2.92
324.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.87 NOK 17.62
$2.54 $2.54
-26.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$72.1 NOK 679
$59.5 $59.5
21.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.39 NOK 22.51
$1.53 $1.53
56.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.4K NOK 465.3K
$27.5K $27.5K
80.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.8K NOK 422.1K
$26.8K $26.8K
67.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bergen
Ridgecrest, CA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$287 NOK 2,698
$249 $249
15.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.59 NOK 326
$74.8 $74.8
-53.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$82.8 NOK 779
$49.42 $49.42
67.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bergen
Ridgecrest, CA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.58 NOK 429
$31.88 $31.88
42.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$43.31 NOK 408
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$19.31 NOK 182
$9.37 $9.37
106.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bergen
Ridgecrest, CA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$241 NOK 2,264
$981 $981
-75.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K NOK 113.5K
$37.2K $37.2K
-67.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bergen
Ridgecrest, CA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$110 NOK 1,033
$85.7 $85.7
28.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.2 NOK 510
$45.19 $45.19
19.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 NOK 1,107
$79.4 $79.4
48.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$170 NOK 1,601
$132 $132
28.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bergen
Ridgecrest, CA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,495 NOK 14.1K
$888 $888
68.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,137 NOK 10.7K
$891 $891
27.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,323 NOK 21.9K
$1,903 $1,903
22.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,698 NOK 16.0K
$1,764 $1,764
-3.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,803 NOK 73.5K
$13.3K $13.3K
-41.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,919 NOK 46.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bergen
Ridgecrest, CA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,675 NOK 44.0K
$5,384 $5,384
-13.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.27
6.75
-21.93%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ridgecrest, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bergen
$1.1K
Ridgecrest, CA
$891 21.6% $246
Groceries & Markets
Bergen
$538
Ridgecrest, CA
$573 6.4% $34
Eating Out
Bergen
$430
Ridgecrest, CA
$375 12.8% $55
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bergen
$404
Ridgecrest, CA
$373 7.7% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Bergen
$203
Ridgecrest, CA
$154 24.2% $49
Getting Around
Bergen
$130
Ridgecrest, CA
$16 * 88% $115
Sport & Entertainment
Bergen
$84
Ridgecrest, CA
$51 39.9% $34

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 $1,495 in Bergen and $888 in Ridgecrest, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ridgecrest, CA pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $137 in Bergen vs $88.0 in Ridgecrest, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $538 vs $573, with Bergen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Bergen
🇺🇸 Ridgecrest, CA
🕒 Local time
09:05 9:05 AM
00:05 12:05 AM
9 h behind Bergen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
292,482
27,959
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bergen Ridgecrest, CA 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bergen
  • Ridgecrest, CA

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 Ridgecrest, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ridgecrest, CA cheaper than Bergen?
Ridgecrest, CA is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Bergen or Ridgecrest, CA?
On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Ridgecrest, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Bergen and Ridgecrest, CA?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,495 in Bergen versus $888 in Ridgecrest, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $241 in Bergen versus $981 in Ridgecrest, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Bergen or in Ridgecrest, CA?
Dining out is cheaper in Ridgecrest, CA – a meal for two runs $88.0 versus $137 in Bergen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Bergen or in Ridgecrest, CA?
At $2,432 in Ridgecrest, CA versus $2,927 in Bergen, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ridgecrest, CA but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Ridgecrest, CA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Bergen or Ridgecrest, CA more family-friendly?
For families, Ridgecrest, CA 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 Ridgecrest, CA?
Safety-wise, Bergen and Ridgecrest, CA 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 Ridgecrest, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Bergen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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