Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Tromso

For one person, living is cheaper in Bergen: $2,869 a month against $3,073 in Tromso, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
149

Cost of Living Index in Tromso
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Tromso Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,869

/mo nomad

Tromso

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Tromso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,869 in Bergen versus $3,073 in Tromso.

Bergen $2,869
Tromso $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,330 in Bergen versus $4,616 in Tromso.

Bergen $4,330
Tromso $4,616

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,790 in Bergen versus $6,158 in Tromso.

Bergen $5,790
Tromso $6,158

Living in Bergen costs roughly 7% less than in Tromso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 113% above, Tromso 128% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.37 NOK 220

$34.24 NOK 322

-31.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$134 NOK 1,263

$103 NOK 974

29.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.56 NOK 147

$15.60 NOK 147

-0.26%

Cappuccino

$5.30 NOK 49.86

$6.77 NOK 63.7

-21.71%

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

$5.07 NOK 47.70

$4.78 NOK 45.00

6.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 42.48

$3.69 NOK 34.75

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.55 NOK 118

$12.57 NOK 118

-0.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.56 NOK 99.4

$13.64 NOK 128

-22.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 NOK 20.66

$2.49 NOK 23.48

-12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 NOK 36.88

$3.26 NOK 30.72

20.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 NOK 32.20

$3.92 NOK 36.91

-12.76%

Eggs

$6.34 NOK 59.7

$5.18 NOK 48.80

22.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.80 NOK 139

$11.61 NOK 109

27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.41 NOK 164

$14.85 NOK 140

17.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.51 NOK 344

$40.81 NOK 384

-10.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 NOK 38.83

$3.96 NOK 37.24

4.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 NOK 25.22

$2.92 NOK 27.46

-8.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 NOK 32.77

$5.35 NOK 50.3

-34.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.46 NOK 51.4

$6.07 NOK 57.2

-10.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 NOK 23.59

$3.53 NOK 33.27

-28.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 NOK 31.78

$4.89 NOK 46.02

-30.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 NOK 26.68

$2.98 NOK 28.07

-5.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 NOK 16.84

$2.09 NOK 19.67

-14.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.41 NOK 164

$16.36 NOK 154

6.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 NOK 178

$17.30 NOK 163

9.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.58 NOK 33.66

$3.94 NOK 37.07

-9.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 NOK 39.70

$4.66 NOK 43.91

-9.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.05 NOK 47.54

$5.03 NOK 47.39

0.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.0 NOK 800

$67.0 NOK 631

26.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.36 NOK 116

$15.40 NOK 145

-19.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NOK 18.05

$2.04 NOK 19.21

-5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$71.5 NOK 673

$56.6 NOK 533

26.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.44 NOK 22.96

$2.33 NOK 21.93

4.72%

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

$48.7K NOK 458.5K

$48.3K NOK 454.8K

0.82%

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

$43.0K NOK 405.0K

$43.5K NOK 409.1K

-1.01%

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

$281 NOK 2,641

$253 NOK 2,383

10.82%

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

$32.84 NOK 309

$49.95 NOK 470

-34.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.5 NOK 767

$82.3 NOK 775

-1.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.18 NOK 425

$50.5 NOK 475

-10.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.91 NOK 404

$46.87 NOK 441

-8.45%

Cinema Ticket

$18.56 NOK 175

$17.44 NOK 164

6.42%

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

$239 NOK 2,251

$313 NOK 2,949

-23.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K NOK 109.6K

$7,407 NOK 69.7K

57.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 NOK 1,003

$65.6 NOK 617

62.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 NOK 502

$35.36 NOK 333

50.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 NOK 1,116

$145 NOK 1,361

-17.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 NOK 1,534

$163 NOK 1,538

-0.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 NOK 14.0K

$1,566 NOK 14.7K

-5.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 NOK 10.5K

$1,244 NOK 11.7K

-10.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,327 NOK 21.9K

$2,786 NOK 26.2K

-16.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 NOK 16.1K

$2,027 NOK 19.1K

-15.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,835 NOK 73.8K

$6,960 NOK 65.5K

12.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,754 NOK 44.8K

$5,271 NOK 49.6K

-9.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,567 NOK 43.0K

$4,125 NOK 38.8K

10.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

5.01

5.19%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tromso: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.1K 38.9%

Tromso

$1.2K 40.5% 11.4% $128

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$530 18.5%

Tromso

$536 17.4% 1% $5.1

Eating Out

Bergen

$419 14.6%

Tromso

$526 17.1% 25.4% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$395 13.8%

Tromso

$385 12.5% 2.4% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$199 6.9%

Tromso

$184 6% 7.4% $15

Getting Around

Bergen

$127 4.4%

Tromso

$113 3.7% 11.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$82 2.9%

Tromso

$85 2.8% 3.7% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,483 in Bergen and $1,566 in Tromso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $134 in Bergen vs $103 in Tromso. Groceries flip the comparison at $530 vs $536, with Bergen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇳🇴 Tromso

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

Same time as Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

78,908

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Bergen Tromso 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bergen
Tromso

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 Tromso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bergen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% 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 $1,566 in Tromso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $239 in Bergen versus $313 in Tromso. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Tromso. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Tromso, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bergen and Tromso 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 Bergen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Tromso. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.