Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairbanks, AK and Bergen

For one person, living costs are similar in Fairbanks, AK and in Bergen: $3,000 and $2,927 a month, rent and utilities included.

145

Cost of Living Index in Fairbanks, AK
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Fairbanks, AK Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Fairbanks, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,000

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fairbanks, AK and in Bergen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,000 in Fairbanks, AK versus $2,927 in Bergen.

Fairbanks, AK $3,000
Bergen $2,927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,408 in Fairbanks, AK versus $4,393 in Bergen.

Fairbanks, AK $4,408
Bergen $4,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,816 in Fairbanks, AK versus $5,858 in Bergen.

Fairbanks, AK $5,816
Bergen $5,858

Living in Fairbanks, AK is roughly 2% more expensive than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fairbanks, AK 121% above, Bergen 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.10 $25.10

$23.86 NOK 225

5.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.1 $99.1

$137 NOK 1,286

-27.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.27 $15.27

$16.17 NOK 152

-5.57%

Cappuccino

$6.07 $6.07

$5.48 NOK 51.6

10.77%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$5.34 NOK 50.3

-49.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$4.70 NOK 44.25

-56.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 $6.83

$12.76 NOK 120

-46.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$10.67 NOK 100

-5.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.30 NOK 21.68

-50.87%

White Bread (500g)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.86 NOK 36.32

39.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.57 NOK 33.60

33.89%

Eggs

$4.36 $4.36

$6.30 NOK 59.3

-30.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.93 $21.93

$14.65 NOK 138

49.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 $8.66

$17.78 NOK 167

-51.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.87 $20.87

$37.46 NOK 353

-44.29%

Apples (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$4.07 NOK 38.32

85.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.79 NOK 26.28

-22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.63 NOK 34.16

66.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.24 $6.24

$5.41 NOK 50.9

15.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.49 NOK 23.43

43.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.42 NOK 32.21

7.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.95 NOK 27.75

-5.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.79 NOK 16.83

12.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.10 $12.10

$17.71 NOK 167

-31.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 $12.20

$19.45 NOK 183

-37.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$3.68 NOK 34.63

-51.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 NOK 40.22

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$5.30 NOK 49.93

-71.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.60 $40.60

$87.5 NOK 824

-53.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$12.39 NOK 117

-70.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.87 NOK 17.62

15.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.97 $44.97

$72.1 NOK 679

-37.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$2.39 NOK 22.51

-46.44%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$49.4K NOK 465.3K

-47.51%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$44.8K NOK 422.1K

-44.89%

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

$212 $212

$287 NOK 2,698

-25.92%

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

$61.3 $61.3

$34.59 NOK 326

77.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$139 $139

$82.8 NOK 779

68.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.0 $98.0

$45.58 NOK 429

115.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.31 NOK 408

Cinema Ticket

$18.10 $18.10

$19.31 NOK 182

-6.27%

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

$1,845 $1,845

$241 NOK 2,264

667.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K NOK 113.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$110 NOK 1,033

-45.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.78 $39.78

$54.2 NOK 510

-26.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$118 NOK 1,107

2.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$170 NOK 1,601

-30.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 $1,612

$1,495 NOK 14.1K

7.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 $1,381

$1,137 NOK 10.7K

21.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,580 $2,580

$2,323 NOK 21.9K

11.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,230 $2,230

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

31.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,244 $2,244

$7,803 NOK 73.5K

-71.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,000 $2,000

$4,919 NOK 46.3K

-59.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,941 $3,941

$4,675 NOK 44.0K

-15.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.71

5.27

27.32%

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

Last update for Fairbanks, AK: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fairbanks, AK

$1.4K 46%

Bergen

$1.1K 38.8% 17.7% $244

Groceries & Markets

Fairbanks, AK

$466 * 15.5%

Bergen

$538 18.4% 15.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairbanks, AK

$413 13.8%

Bergen

$404 13.8% 2.2% $9.1

Eating Out

Fairbanks, AK

$393 13.1%

Bergen

$430 14.7% 9.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Fairbanks, AK

$152 5.1%

Bergen

$203 6.9% 33.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Fairbanks, AK

$134 4.5%

Bergen

$84 2.9% 37.3% $50

Getting Around

Fairbanks, AK

$61 2%

Bergen

$130 4.5% 114% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,612 in Fairbanks, AK and $1,495 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $99.0 in Fairbanks, AK vs $137 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $538 per month, with Fairbanks, AK cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairbanks, AK

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

16:21 4:21 PM

10 h ahead of Fairbanks, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,515

292,482

💱 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 21, 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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Fairbanks, AK Bergen 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Fairbanks, AK
Bergen

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

Fairbanks, AK vs Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bergen is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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: $1,612 in Fairbanks, AK versus $1,495 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,845 in Fairbanks, AK versus $241 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Fairbanks, AK pay roughly 15% 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 Fairbanks, AK, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Fairbanks, AK and Bergen 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 2% less than in Fairbanks, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.