Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fredrikstad and Santa Monica, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Fredrikstad: $2,983 a month against $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Monica, CA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

144

Cost of Living Index in Fredrikstad
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Fredrikstad Living Index
214

Cost of Living Index in Santa Monica, CA
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Santa Monica, CA Living Index

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Fredrikstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,983

/mo nomad

Santa Monica, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fredrikstad and in Santa Monica, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,983 in Fredrikstad versus $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA.

Fredrikstad $2,983
Santa Monica, CA $4,430

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,345 in Fredrikstad versus $6,581 in Santa Monica, CA.

Fredrikstad $4,345
Santa Monica, CA $6,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,707 in Fredrikstad versus $8,732 in Santa Monica, CA.

Fredrikstad $5,707
Santa Monica, CA $8,732

Living in Fredrikstad costs roughly 33% less than in Santa Monica, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fredrikstad 121% above, Santa Monica, CA 228% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.28 NOK 247

$26.77 $26.77

-1.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 NOK 1,170

$118 $118

5.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.65 NOK 119

$14.88 $14.88

-14.99%

Cappuccino

$6.77 NOK 63.7

$5.93 $5.93

14.17%

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

$5.55 NOK 52.3

$3.26 $3.26

70.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 NOK 41.36

$2.40 $2.40

82.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$8.13 $8.13

42.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.57 NOK 90.1

$9.95 $9.95

-3.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 NOK 22.00

$1.34 $1.34

74.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 NOK 40.56

$4.57 $4.57

-5.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 NOK 32.31

$4.65 $4.65

-26.24%

Eggs

$5.82 NOK 54.8

$5.73 $5.73

1.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.06 NOK 123

$15.77 $15.77

-17.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.96 NOK 169

$14.21 $14.21

26.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.38 NOK 324

$19.80 $19.80

73.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 NOK 31.71

$4.76 $4.76

-29.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.64 NOK 34.24

$2.29 $2.29

58.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 NOK 40.49

$3.95 $3.95

8.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 NOK 47.06

$5.45 $5.45

-8.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.74

$3.31 $3.31

-20.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 NOK 25.53

$2.83 $2.83

-4.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.50

$2.14 $2.14

31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.95

$2.48 $2.48

-6.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.51 NOK 146

$11.56 $11.56

34.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.16 NOK 209

$15.25 $15.25

45.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.49 NOK 32.81

$2.43 $2.43

43.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 NOK 41.34

$3.06 $3.06

43.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 NOK 38.71

$2.52 $2.52

63.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.5 NOK 607

$67.0 $67.0

-3.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.56 NOK 118

$3.15 $3.15

298.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 NOK 18.79

$1.90 $1.90

5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.1 NOK 660

$32.68 $32.68

114.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 NOK 21.64

$1.45 $1.45

58.62%

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

$49.8K NOK 468.4K

$36.8K $36.8K

35.22%

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

$46.9K NOK 441.1K

$25.6K $25.6K

83.25%

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

$331 NOK 3,118

$218 $218

52.08%

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

$45.60 NOK 429

$46.37 $46.37

-1.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 NOK 630

$65.1 $65.1

2.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 NOK 549

$70.7 $70.7

-17.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.86 NOK 385

$44.11 $44.11

-7.37%

Cinema Ticket

$20.19 NOK 190

$19.36 $19.36

4.29%

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

$168 NOK 1,579

$1,694 $1,694

-90.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K NOK 117.8K

$32.5K $32.5K

-61.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$155 NOK 1,459

$88.9 $88.9

74.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.7 NOK 741

$54.8 $54.8

43.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 NOK 1,358

$104 $104

38.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NOK 1,051

$121 $121

-8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 NOK 12.5K

$3,328 $3,328

-60.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 NOK 10.6K

$2,860 $2,860

-60.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 NOK 17.1K

$5,804 $5,804

-68.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 NOK 14.3K

$5,048 $5,048

-69.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,022 NOK 56.7K

$10.9K $10.9K

-44.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,131 NOK 38.9K

$7,924 $7,924

-47.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,372 NOK 31.7K

$6,900 $6,900

-51.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.95

6.62

-25.23%

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

Last update for Fredrikstad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Monica, CA: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fredrikstad

$1.1K 37.9%

Santa Monica, CA

$2.9K 64.6% 153% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Fredrikstad

$540 18.1%

Santa Monica, CA

$462 10.4% 14.4% $78

Eating Out

Fredrikstad

$446 15%

Santa Monica, CA

$413 9.3% 7.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fredrikstad

$444 14.9%

Santa Monica, CA

$329 7.4% 25.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Fredrikstad

$220 7.4%

Santa Monica, CA

$166 3.8% 24.6% $54

Getting Around

Fredrikstad

$103 3.5%

Santa Monica, CA

$90 2% 13.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Fredrikstad

$99 3.3%

Santa Monica, CA

$109 2.5% 10.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,329 in Fredrikstad and $3,328 in Santa Monica, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Monica, CA pays 105% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $124 in Fredrikstad vs $118 in Santa Monica, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $540 vs $462 per month, with Santa Monica, CA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Fredrikstad

🇺🇸 Santa Monica, CA

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

9 h behind Fredrikstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,267

89,736

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Fredrikstad Santa Monica, CA 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Fredrikstad
Santa Monica, CA

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

Fredrikstad vs Santa Monica, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fredrikstad is cheaper overall, especially in leisure. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 105% lower in Santa Monica, CA. 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: $1,329 in Fredrikstad versus $3,328 in Santa Monica, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $168 in Fredrikstad versus $1,694 in Santa Monica, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Santa Monica, CA pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

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

Safety-wise, Fredrikstad and Santa Monica, CA 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 Fredrikstad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Santa Monica, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.