Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boulder, CO and Asker

For one person, living is cheaper in Asker: $2,736 a month against $3,518 in Boulder, CO, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Boulder, CO
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Boulder, CO Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Asker
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Asker Living Index

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Boulder, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,518

/mo nomad

Asker

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Boulder, CO and in Asker

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

A single person spends $3,518 per month in Boulder, CO vs $2,736 in Asker, rent included.

Boulder, CO $3,518
Asker $2,736

A couple spends around $5,103 per month in Boulder, CO vs $3,894 in Asker, rent included.

Boulder, CO $5,103
Asker $3,894

A family of three spends $6,689 per month in Boulder, CO vs $5,053 in Asker, rent included.

Boulder, CO $6,689
Asker $5,053

Boulder, CO costs about 29% more than Asker, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Boulder, CO and Asker sit above the global median – Boulder, CO by 160%, Asker by 102%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 $19.81

$20.81 NOK 196

-4.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$62.8 NOK 591

26.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 $15.07

$12.34 NOK 116

22.12%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$6.05 NOK 57.0

-8.10%

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

$3.70 $3.70

$2.82 NOK 26.55

31.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.83 NOK 17.23

57.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 $7.09

$11.85 NOK 112

-40.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$11.43 NOK 108

-22.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.30 NOK 21.64

-48.70%

White Bread (500g)

$5.55 $5.55

$3.35 NOK 31.56

65.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$3.67 NOK 34.54

77.11%

Eggs

$5.53 $5.53

$3.47 NOK 32.70

59.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.85 $11.85

$3.75 NOK 35.29

216.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.91 $10.91

$11.70 NOK 110

-6.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 $17.35

$8.54 NOK 80.4

103.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.28 NOK 30.87

80.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.66 NOK 25.01

-45.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$3.57 NOK 33.60

77.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.64 NOK 43.70

31.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.64 NOK 24.85

48.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.92 NOK 27.49

31.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.56 NOK 14.65

114.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.08 NOK 19.55

27.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.24 $10.24

$18.51 NOK 174

-44.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.23 $17.23

$16.73 NOK 158

2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$3.35 NOK 31.52

-44.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 $4.94

$4.15 NOK 39.02

19.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 $2.82

$4.65 NOK 43.77

-39.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 $152

$80.1 NOK 754

89.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$11.83 NOK 111

-79.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.80 NOK 16.95

-23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.21 $24.21

$68.2 NOK 642

-64.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.25 NOK 21.18

-52.00%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$48.9K NOK 460.1K

-43.78%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$43.8K NOK 412.7K

-38.66%

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

$279 $279

$416 NOK 3,914

-32.89%

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

$72.1 $72.1

$30.73 NOK 289

134.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$31.58 NOK 297

134.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.1 $83.1

$49.84 NOK 469

66.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.21 $20.21

$36.23 NOK 341

-44.22%

Cinema Ticket

$16.72 $16.72

$15.45 NOK 145

8.22%

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

$1,633 $1,633

$237 NOK 2,231

589.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K $31.2K

$15.5K NOK 146.1K

101.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 $69.2

$99.8 NOK 940

-30.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 $48.21

$60.0 NOK 565

-19.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 $92.2

$134 NOK 1,260

-31.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$154 NOK 1,452

-6.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,374 $2,374

$1,505 NOK 14.2K

57.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 $1,825

$1,126 NOK 10.6K

62.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,307 $4,307

$2,148 NOK 20.2K

100.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,069 $3,069

$1,794 NOK 16.9K

71.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,420 $4,420

$6,009 NOK 56.6K

-26.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,495 $4,495

$4,061 NOK 38.2K

10.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,629 $5,629

$3,913 NOK 36.8K

43.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.87

69.25%

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

Last update for Boulder, CO: October 17, 2026

Last update for Asker: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boulder, CO

$1.8K 51.9%

Asker

$1.1K 41.1% 38.3% $699

Groceries & Markets

Boulder, CO

$470 13.4%

Asker

$354 12.9% 24.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boulder, CO

$425 12.1%

Asker

$478 17.5% 12.4% $53

Eating Out

Boulder, CO

$350 10%

Asker

$377 13.8% 7.7% $27

Getting Around

Boulder, CO

$173 4.9%

Asker

$120 4.4% 30.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Boulder, CO

$159 4.5%

Asker

$202 7.4% 26.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Boulder, CO

$117 3.3%

Asker

$81 3% 30.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,374 in Boulder, CO versus $1,505 in Asker. 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 44% higher in Boulder, CO, 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 $79.0 in Boulder, CO versus $63.0 in Asker. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $354 – making Asker the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Boulder, CO

🇳🇴 Asker

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

03:23 3:23 AM

8 h ahead of Boulder, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,803

99,214

💱 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

On the map

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Boulder, CO Asker 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Boulder, CO
Asker

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

Boulder, CO vs Asker: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boulder, CO costs about 29% more than Asker, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,277 per month in Boulder, CO and $4,104 in Asker. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,633 per month in Boulder, CO and $237 in Asker. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Boulder, CO, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,518 in Boulder, CO and $2,736 in Asker. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Asker costs $2,736 versus $3,518 in Boulder, CO. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Asker. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Boulder, CO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.