Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berkeley, CA and Trondheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Trondheim: $2,827 a month against $3,878 in Berkeley, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

188

Cost of Living Index in Berkeley, CA
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Berkeley, CA Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
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Trondheim Living Index

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Berkeley, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,878

/mo nomad

Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,827

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berkeley, CA and in Trondheim

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Berkeley, CA and in Trondheim actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,878 per month in Berkeley, CA vs $2,827 in Trondheim, rent included.

Berkeley, CA $3,878
Trondheim $2,827

A couple spends around $5,546 per month in Berkeley, CA vs $4,156 in Trondheim, rent included.

Berkeley, CA $5,546
Trondheim $4,156

A family of three spends $7,215 per month in Berkeley, CA vs $5,485 in Trondheim, rent included.

Berkeley, CA $7,215
Trondheim $5,485

Berkeley, CA costs about 37% more than Trondheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Berkeley, CA and Trondheim sit above the global median – Berkeley, CA by 187%, Trondheim by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 $22.39

$20.78 NOK 196

7.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 $80.3

$104 NOK 982

-22.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 $10.52

$15.59 NOK 147

-32.52%

Cappuccino

$6.07 $6.07

$5.39 NOK 50.7

12.62%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$5.67 NOK 53.4

-42.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$4.30 NOK 40.47

-28.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$13.06 NOK 123

-54.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$12.63 NOK 119

-39.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.42 NOK 22.80

-17.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.31 NOK 31.20

37.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$3.74 NOK 35.21

53.48%

Eggs

$6.07 $6.07

$4.75 NOK 44.75

27.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.78 $26.78

$12.99 NOK 122

106.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.58 $16.58

$16.19 NOK 152

2.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.69 $21.69

$31.12 NOK 293

-30.30%

Apples (1kg)

$7.14 $7.14

$3.94 NOK 37.08

81.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.80 NOK 26.39

-8.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$3.75 NOK 35.35

65.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$10.45 $10.45

$5.45 NOK 51.3

91.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.89 NOK 27.16

23.88%

Onion (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.97 NOK 27.96

62.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.94 NOK 27.63

-13.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.29 NOK 21.53

34.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.57 $11.57

$17.27 NOK 163

-33.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.82 $12.82

$18.04 NOK 170

-28.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.44 NOK 32.42

-40.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$4.45 NOK 41.85

-37.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$4.66 NOK 43.84

-47.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.1 $93.1

$99.3 NOK 935

-6.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$9.40 NOK 88.5

-63.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.61 NOK 15.20

17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.52 $39.52

$60.2 NOK 567

-34.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.40 NOK 22.63

-38.75%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$44.9K NOK 422.5K

-16.11%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$45.6K NOK 428.8K

-42.79%

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

$180 $180

$266 NOK 2,507

-32.33%

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

$61.7 $61.7

$35.59 NOK 335

73.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.7 $76.7

$82.3 NOK 775

-6.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 $49.54

$41.67 NOK 392

18.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.94 $7.94

$39.68 NOK 374

-79.99%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 $15.27

$20.51 NOK 193

-25.55%

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

$2,565 $2,565

$298 NOK 2,806

760.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K $35.2K

$4,363 NOK 41.1K

706.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 $71.2

$104 NOK 983

-31.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 $70.5

$49.65 NOK 467

41.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 $96.2

$122 NOK 1,144

-20.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$235 $235

$157 NOK 1,478

49.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,594 $2,594

$1,442 NOK 13.6K

79.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 $2,219

$1,123 NOK 10.6K

97.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,778 $4,778

$2,193 NOK 20.6K

117.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,487 $3,487

$1,675 NOK 15.8K

108.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,047 $8,047

$6,306 NOK 59.4K

27.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,245 $7,245

$5,032 NOK 47.4K

43.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,775 $6,775

$4,145 NOK 39.0K

63.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

5.32

24.44%

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

Last update for Berkeley, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Trondheim: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berkeley, CA

$2.2K 57.2%

Trondheim

$1.1K 39.7% 49.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Berkeley, CA

$578 14.9%

Trondheim

$499 17.7% 13.6% $79

Eating Out

Berkeley, CA

$354 9.1%

Trondheim

$408 14.4% 15.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berkeley, CA

$319 8.2%

Trondheim

$384 13.6% 20.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Berkeley, CA

$213 5.5%

Trondheim

$195 6.9% 8.5% $18

Getting Around

Berkeley, CA

$116 3%

Trondheim

$135 4.8% 16.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Berkeley, CA

$80 2.1%

Trondheim

$83 2.9% 3.2% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,594 in Berkeley, CA versus $1,442 in Trondheim. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 63% higher in Berkeley, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Berkeley, CA versus $104 in Trondheim. Groceries tell a different story – $578 in Berkeley, CA vs $499 in Trondheim – so Trondheim wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Berkeley, CA

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

03:18 3:18 AM

9 h ahead of Berkeley, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,363

215,121

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

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Berkeley, CA Trondheim 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Berkeley, CA
Trondheim

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

Berkeley, CA vs Trondheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berkeley, CA is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,817 per month in Berkeley, CA and $4,241 in Trondheim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Trondheim, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Trondheim. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,565 per month in Berkeley, CA and $298 in Trondheim. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,878 in Berkeley, CA and $2,827 in Trondheim. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Trondheim – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Trondheim. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berkeley, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.