Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Sandnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandnes: $2,684 a month against $2,927 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Sandnes
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Sandnes Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,927

/mo nomad

Sandnes

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Sandnes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,927 in Bergen versus $2,684 in Sandnes.

Bergen $2,927
Sandnes $2,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,393 in Bergen versus $4,176 in Sandnes.

Bergen $4,393
Sandnes $4,176

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,858 in Bergen versus $5,667 in Sandnes.

Bergen $5,858
Sandnes $5,667

Living in Bergen is roughly 9% more expensive than in Sandnes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 116% above, Sandnes 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.86 NOK 225

$24.80 NOK 233

-3.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$137 NOK 1,286

$97.5 NOK 918

40.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.17 NOK 152

$15.49 NOK 146

4.39%

Cappuccino

$5.48 NOK 51.6

$5.71 NOK 53.7

-4.03%

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

$5.34 NOK 50.3

$3.41 NOK 32.10

56.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 NOK 44.25

$3.07 NOK 28.85

53.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.76 NOK 120

$13.93 NOK 131

-8.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.67 NOK 100

$10.58 NOK 99.6

0.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 NOK 21.68

$2.44 NOK 22.94

-5.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 NOK 36.32

$3.37 NOK 31.76

14.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 NOK 33.60

$2.53 NOK 23.82

41.11%

Eggs

$6.30 NOK 59.3

$4.80 NOK 45.17

31.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 NOK 138

$13.22 NOK 124

10.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.78 NOK 167

$15.83 NOK 149

12.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.46 NOK 353

$31.80 NOK 299

17.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 NOK 38.32

$3.52 NOK 33.10

15.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 NOK 26.28

$2.84 NOK 26.77

-1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 NOK 34.16

$3.17 NOK 29.86

14.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.41 NOK 50.9

$4.92 NOK 46.32

9.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 NOK 23.43

$2.61 NOK 24.57

-4.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 NOK 32.21

$2.32 NOK 21.80

47.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.95 NOK 27.75

$2.88 NOK 27.14

2.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 NOK 16.83

$2.37 NOK 22.29

-24.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.71 NOK 167

$16.64 NOK 157

6.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.45 NOK 183

$17.08 NOK 161

13.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.68 NOK 34.63

$3.20 NOK 30.12

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 NOK 40.22

$4.23 NOK 39.83

0.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.30 NOK 49.93

$4.70 NOK 44.29

12.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.5 NOK 824

$85.4 NOK 803

2.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 117

$6.43 NOK 60.6

92.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 NOK 17.62

$1.80 NOK 16.92

3.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.1 NOK 679

$48.81 NOK 460

47.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 NOK 22.51

$2.23 NOK 21.00

7.17%

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

$49.4K NOK 465.3K

$43.2K NOK 406.7K

14.41%

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

$44.8K NOK 422.1K

$39.0K NOK 366.7K

15.12%

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

$287 NOK 2,698

$266 NOK 2,499

7.94%

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

$34.59 NOK 326

$34.10 NOK 321

1.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.8 NOK 779

$79.3 NOK 746

4.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.58 NOK 429

$45.56 NOK 429

0.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.31 NOK 408

$53.4 NOK 503

-18.88%

Cinema Ticket

$19.31 NOK 182

$19.40 NOK 183

-0.46%

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

$241 NOK 2,264

$292 NOK 2,748

-17.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K NOK 113.5K

$9,662 NOK 91.0K

24.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 NOK 1,033

$127 NOK 1,200

-13.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 NOK 510

$60.8 NOK 572

-10.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 NOK 1,107

$122 NOK 1,147

-3.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 NOK 1,601

$189 NOK 1,782

-10.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 NOK 14.1K

$1,333 NOK 12.6K

12.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 NOK 10.7K

$962 NOK 9,056

18.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 NOK 21.9K

$2,000 NOK 18.8K

16.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

$1,820 NOK 17.1K

-6.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,803 NOK 73.5K

$7,005 NOK 65.9K

11.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,919 NOK 46.3K

$4,050 NOK 38.1K

21.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,675 NOK 44.0K

$3,781 NOK 35.6K

23.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

5.22

0.96%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sandnes: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.1K 38.8%

Sandnes

$962 35.8% 15.4% $175

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$538 18.4%

Sandnes

$485 18.1% 10% $54

Eating Out

Bergen

$430 14.7%

Sandnes

$430 16% 0.1% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$404 13.8%

Sandnes

$379 14.1% 6.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$203 6.9%

Sandnes

$225 8.4% 10.5% $21

Getting Around

Bergen

$130 4.5%

Sandnes

$120 4.5% 8.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$84 2.9%

Sandnes

$84 3.1% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,495 in Bergen and $1,333 in Sandnes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 24% 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: $137 in Bergen vs $98.0 in Sandnes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $538 vs $485 per month, with Sandnes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Sandnes

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

83,958

💱 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

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Between locations

Bergen Sandnes 170 km

From you

Bergen
Sandnes

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 Sandnes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandnes is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 9% gap 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: $1,495 in Bergen versus $1,333 in Sandnes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $241 in Bergen versus $292 in Sandnes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Sandnes is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Sandnes 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 Sandnes 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 Sandnes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.