Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Sarpsborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarpsborg: $2,872 a month against $3,086 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bergen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

146

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
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Sarpsborg Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,086

/mo nomad

Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Sarpsborg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,086 in Bergen versus $2,872 in Sarpsborg.

Bergen $3,086
Sarpsborg $2,872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,601 in Bergen versus $4,169 in Sarpsborg.

Bergen $4,601
Sarpsborg $4,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,117 in Bergen versus $5,466 in Sarpsborg.

Bergen $6,117
Sarpsborg $5,466

Living in Bergen is roughly 7% more expensive than in Sarpsborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 128% above, Sarpsborg 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.42 NOK 227

$40.81 NOK 379

-40.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$140 NOK 1,303

$99.3 NOK 921

41.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.86 NOK 147

$19.17 NOK 178

-17.27%

Cappuccino

$5.53 NOK 51.3

$5.74 NOK 53.3

-3.66%

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

$5.30 NOK 49.19

$2.88 NOK 26.75

84.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 NOK 43.81

$2.67 NOK 24.77

76.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.62 NOK 117

$6.60 NOK 61.2

91.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.66 NOK 98.9

$8.19 NOK 76.0

30.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.02

$2.32 NOK 21.49

-2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 NOK 36.22

$3.49 NOK 32.42

11.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.57

$4.01 NOK 37.22

-9.73%

Eggs

$6.67 NOK 61.9

$4.56 NOK 42.30

46.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.80 NOK 137

$12.54 NOK 116

18.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.76 NOK 165

$17.04 NOK 158

4.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.47 NOK 348

$34.26 NOK 318

9.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 NOK 38.10

$3.85 NOK 35.74

6.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 24.78

$2.67 NOK 24.81

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 NOK 32.21

$3.49 NOK 32.43

-0.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 NOK 52.9

$6.04 NOK 56.1

-5.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.71

$2.84 NOK 26.39

-10.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 NOK 31.00

$3.18 NOK 29.50

5.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.95 NOK 27.39

$2.65 NOK 24.61

11.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 NOK 17.30

$2.59 NOK 24.00

-28.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.04 NOK 167

$15.56 NOK 144

15.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.81 NOK 184

$13.73 NOK 127

44.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 NOK 33.99

$3.34 NOK 30.97

9.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 42.05

$4.71 NOK 43.69

-3.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.61 NOK 52.1

$2.62 NOK 24.36

114.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.2 NOK 818

$87.2 NOK 809

1.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.63 NOK 117

$12.01 NOK 111

5.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 NOK 17.50

$1.97 NOK 18.26

-4.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.0 NOK 677

$63.8 NOK 592

14.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.36

$2.27 NOK 21.08

6.17%

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

$49.5K NOK 459.7K

$55.3K NOK 513.5K

-10.47%

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

$44.6K NOK 414.0K

$47.2K NOK 437.7K

-5.40%

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

$292 NOK 2,713

$238 NOK 2,207

22.93%

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

$35.42 NOK 329

$36.62 NOK 340

-3.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.0 NOK 733

$47.03 NOK 436

67.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.83 NOK 435

$50.1 NOK 465

-6.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.17 NOK 410

$38.46 NOK 357

14.85%

Cinema Ticket

$19.31 NOK 179

$19.49 NOK 181

-0.92%

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

$243 NOK 2,252

$239 NOK 2,217

1.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K NOK 144.3K

$11.6K NOK 107.7K

33.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 NOK 1,066

$111 NOK 1,034

3.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 NOK 512

$66.9 NOK 621

-17.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 NOK 1,081

$125 NOK 1,158

-6.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 NOK 1,507

$180 NOK 1,670

-9.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 NOK 15.0K

$1,224 NOK 11.4K

31.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 NOK 11.9K

$1,093 NOK 10.1K

17.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 NOK 24.5K

$1,606 NOK 14.9K

64.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,911 NOK 17.7K

$1,399 NOK 13.0K

36.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,204 NOK 76.1K

$6,415 NOK 59.5K

27.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,269 NOK 48.9K

$4,241 NOK 39.4K

24.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,937 NOK 45.8K

$2,714 NOK 25.2K

81.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

5.18

1.74%

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

Last update for Bergen: November 3, 2026

Last update for Sarpsborg: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.3K 41.6%

Sarpsborg

$1.1K 38.1% 14.8% $190

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$543 17.6%

Sarpsborg

$508 17.7% 6.5% $35

Eating Out

Bergen

$434 14.1%

Sarpsborg

$524 18.3% 20.9% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$407 13.2%

Sarpsborg

$321 11.2% 21% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$202 6.6%

Sarpsborg

$217 7.6% 7.6% $15

Getting Around

Bergen

$133 4.3%

Sarpsborg

$120 4.2% 9.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$85 2.8%

Sarpsborg

$89 3.1% 4.2% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,613 in Bergen and $1,224 in Sarpsborg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 82% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $140 in Bergen vs $99 in Sarpsborg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $543 vs $508 per month, with Sarpsborg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

59,906

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 EUR

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bergen Sarpsborg 350 km

From you

Bergen
Sarpsborg

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 Sarpsborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarpsborg is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 82% 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: $1,613 in Bergen versus $1,224 in Sarpsborg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $243 in Bergen versus $239 in Sarpsborg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sarpsborg – a meal for two runs $99 versus $140 in Bergen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

It comes down to priorities – Sarpsborg wins on affordability, Bergen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.