Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Sandefjord

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandefjord: $2,549 a month against $2,869 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Sandefjord
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Sandefjord Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,869

/mo nomad

Sandefjord

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Sandefjord

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,869 in Bergen versus $2,549 in Sandefjord.

Bergen $2,869
Sandefjord $2,549

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,330 in Bergen versus $3,748 in Sandefjord.

Bergen $4,330
Sandefjord $3,748

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,790 in Bergen versus $4,948 in Sandefjord.

Bergen $5,790
Sandefjord $4,948

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 113% above, Sandefjord 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.37 NOK 220

$20.53 NOK 193

13.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$134 NOK 1,263

$125 NOK 1,179

7.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.56 NOK 147

$15.78 NOK 149

-1.39%

Cappuccino

$5.30 NOK 49.86

$5.68 NOK 53.4

-6.69%

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

$5.07 NOK 47.70

$4.17 NOK 39.30

21.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 42.48

$2.15 NOK 20.19

109.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.55 NOK 118

$10.05 NOK 94.6

24.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.56 NOK 99.4

$10.31 NOK 97.1

2.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 NOK 20.66

$2.12 NOK 19.97

3.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 NOK 36.88

$2.57 NOK 24.18

52.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 NOK 32.20

$4.14 NOK 38.93

-17.39%

Eggs

$6.34 NOK 59.7

$4.08 NOK 38.44

55.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.80 NOK 139

$14.78 NOK 139

0.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.41 NOK 164

$15.66 NOK 147

11.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.51 NOK 344

$30.89 NOK 291

18.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 NOK 38.83

$2.15 NOK 20.27

91.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 NOK 25.22

$2.68 NOK 25.27

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 NOK 32.77

$2.18 NOK 20.56

59.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.46 NOK 51.4

$2.85 NOK 26.80

91.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 NOK 23.59

$1.12 NOK 10.50

124.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 NOK 31.78

$2.68 NOK 25.26

26.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 NOK 26.68

$3.09 NOK 29.09

-8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 NOK 16.84

$2.38 NOK 22.36

-24.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.41 NOK 164

$15.81 NOK 149

10.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 NOK 178

$13.05 NOK 123

45.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.58 NOK 33.66

$3.53 NOK 33.21

1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 NOK 39.70

$4.14 NOK 39.00

1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.05 NOK 47.54

$5.10 NOK 47.96

-0.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.0 NOK 800

$66.5 NOK 626

27.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.36 NOK 116

$11.71 NOK 110

5.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NOK 18.05

$1.78 NOK 16.76

7.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$71.5 NOK 673

$48.90 NOK 460

46.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.44 NOK 22.96

$2.25 NOK 21.22

8.44%

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

$48.7K NOK 458.5K

$47.4K NOK 446.0K

2.81%

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

$43.0K NOK 405.0K

$41.6K NOK 391.8K

3.37%

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

$281 NOK 2,641

$264 NOK 2,487

6.20%

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

$32.84 NOK 309

$33.62 NOK 317

-2.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.5 NOK 767

$54.0 NOK 508

50.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.18 NOK 425

$50.5 NOK 475

-10.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.91 NOK 404

$56.9 NOK 535

-24.56%

Cinema Ticket

$18.56 NOK 175

$15.54 NOK 146

19.43%

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

$239 NOK 2,251

$232 NOK 2,186

2.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K NOK 109.6K

$4,887 NOK 46.0K

138.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 NOK 1,003

$101 NOK 949

5.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 NOK 502

$44.41 NOK 418

20.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 NOK 1,116

$80.0 NOK 753

48.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 NOK 1,534

$153 NOK 1,443

6.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 NOK 14.0K

$1,213 NOK 11.4K

22.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 NOK 10.5K

$1,015 NOK 9,556

10.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,327 NOK 21.9K

$1,539 NOK 14.5K

51.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 NOK 16.1K

$1,339 NOK 12.6K

28.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,835 NOK 73.8K

$6,273 NOK 59.1K

24.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,754 NOK 44.8K

$3,696 NOK 34.8K

28.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,567 NOK 43.0K

$3,976 NOK 37.4K

14.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.38

20.32%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sandefjord: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.1K 38.9%

Sandefjord

$1K 39.8% 9.1% $102

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$530 18.5%

Sandefjord

$447 17.5% 15.8% $84

Eating Out

Bergen

$419 14.6%

Sandefjord

$376 14.8% 10.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$395 13.8%

Sandefjord

$352 13.8% 10.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$199 6.9%

Sandefjord

$170 6.7% 14.3% $28

Getting Around

Bergen

$127 4.4%

Sandefjord

$107 4.2% 15.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$82 2.9%

Sandefjord

$82 3.2% 0.9% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,483 in Bergen and $1,213 in Sandefjord. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 15% 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 $125 in Sandefjord for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $447 per month, with Sandefjord cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Sandefjord

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

66,366

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bergen Sandefjord 310 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 Sandefjord: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandefjord is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $1,483 in Bergen versus $1,213 in Sandefjord. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $239 in Bergen versus $232 in Sandefjord. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,549 in Sandefjord versus $2,869 in Bergen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sandefjord but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Sandefjord the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sandefjord 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.

Safety-wise, Bergen and Sandefjord are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sandefjord gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.