Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Bergen: $3,093 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,093

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Stavanger

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,093 in Bergen versus $3,248 in Stavanger.

Bergen $3,093
Stavanger $3,248

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,619 in Bergen versus $4,717 in Stavanger.

Bergen $4,619
Stavanger $4,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,145 in Bergen versus $6,186 in Stavanger.

Bergen $6,145
Stavanger $6,186

Living in Bergen costs roughly 5% less than in Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 127% above, Stavanger 139% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.85 NOK 219

$24.67 NOK 227

-3.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$141 NOK 1,298

$98.0 NOK 900

44.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.30 NOK 150

$16.23 NOK 149

0.43%

Cappuccino

$5.62 NOK 51.6

$6.22 NOK 57.1

-9.65%

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

$5.19 NOK 47.69

$5.89 NOK 54.1

-11.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 NOK 42.00

$4.53 NOK 41.60

0.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 NOK 119

$13.76 NOK 126

-6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.71 NOK 98.4

$10.62 NOK 97.6

0.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 21.55

$2.53 NOK 23.22

-7.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 NOK 35.21

$3.52 NOK 32.32

8.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 NOK 31.66

$3.98 NOK 36.53

-13.32%

Eggs

$6.67 NOK 61.3

$4.75 NOK 43.68

40.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.89 NOK 137

$15.22 NOK 140

-2.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.88 NOK 164

$17.54 NOK 161

1.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.65 NOK 346

$36.16 NOK 332

4.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NOK 37.68

$3.53 NOK 32.44

16.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 NOK 25.74

$2.86 NOK 26.25

-2.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 NOK 34.00

$3.62 NOK 33.25

2.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 NOK 50.9

$4.93 NOK 45.29

12.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 NOK 22.64

$2.55 NOK 23.46

-3.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 NOK 31.32

$3.11 NOK 28.58

9.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 NOK 28.28

$2.90 NOK 26.61

6.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 NOK 16.83

$2.33 NOK 21.41

-21.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.65 NOK 162

$18.27 NOK 168

-3.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 NOK 181

$18.94 NOK 174

4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.83 NOK 35.17

$3.80 NOK 34.94

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NOK 40.78

$4.51 NOK 41.44

-1.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.32 NOK 48.92

$4.75 NOK 43.60

12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 NOK 817

$85.4 NOK 785

4.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.82 NOK 118

$6.27 NOK 57.6

104.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 NOK 17.94

$1.80 NOK 16.54

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$74.9 NOK 688

$106 NOK 972

-29.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.11

$2.46 NOK 22.64

-2.03%

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

$50.1K NOK 460.0K

$49.1K NOK 451.1K

1.95%

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

$44.8K NOK 411.3K

$42.2K NOK 387.8K

6.04%

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

$292 NOK 2,679

$260 NOK 2,385

12.32%

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

$33.90 NOK 311

$33.92 NOK 312

-0.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.1 NOK 782

$79.9 NOK 734

6.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.43 NOK 445

$52.0 NOK 477

-6.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.06 NOK 405

$37.64 NOK 346

17.06%

Cinema Ticket

$19.28 NOK 177

$22.16 NOK 204

-13.00%

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

$251 NOK 2,305

$325 NOK 2,990

-22.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 110.0K

$14.3K NOK 131.7K

-16.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 NOK 989

$130 NOK 1,191

-17.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 NOK 515

$61.9 NOK 569

-9.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NOK 1,103

$151 NOK 1,386

-20.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 NOK 1,524

$206 NOK 1,890

-19.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 NOK 15.0K

$1,805 NOK 16.6K

-9.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 NOK 11.8K

$1,429 NOK 13.1K

-10.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 NOK 24.5K

$2,895 NOK 26.6K

-7.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 NOK 17.7K

$2,145 NOK 19.7K

-10.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,228 NOK 75.6K

$6,468 NOK 59.4K

27.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,382 NOK 49.4K

$5,430 NOK 49.9K

-0.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,732 NOK 43.5K

$5,086 NOK 46.7K

-6.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

5.24

0.57%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 26, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.3K 41.5%

Stavanger

$1.4K 44% 11.3% $145

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$545 17.6%

Stavanger

$530 16.3% 2.7% $15

Eating Out

Bergen

$432 14%

Stavanger

$452 13.9% 4.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$411 13.3%

Stavanger

$373 11.5% 9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$202 6.5%

Stavanger

$247 7.6% 21.9% $44

Getting Around

Bergen

$133 4.3%

Stavanger

$120 3.7% 9.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$87 2.8%

Stavanger

$96 3% 10.7% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,627 in Bergen and $1,805 in Stavanger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 7% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $141 in Bergen vs $98 in Stavanger for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $545 vs $530 per month, with Stavanger cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

149,330

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bergen Stavanger 160 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 Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bergen is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Bergen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,627 in Bergen versus $1,805 in Stavanger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Bergen versus $325 in Stavanger. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Stavanger pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

For families, Bergen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Stavanger, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bergen and Stavanger are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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