Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Norway

Name: Norway
Address: NO

For one person, living is cheaper in Germany: $2,080 a month against $2,917 in Norway, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
Learn more

Germany Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Norway
Learn more

Norway Living Index

Jump to prices

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,080

/mo nomad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Germany and in Norway

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Germany versus $2,917 in Norway.

Germany $2,080
Norway $2,917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Germany versus $4,347 in Norway.

Germany $3,130
Norway $4,347

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,180 in Germany versus $5,776 in Norway.

Germany $4,180
Norway $5,776

Internal cost variation is higher in Norway: monthly costs span $1,521 to $3,538, compared to $1,337–$2,681 in Germany. City choice carries more weight in Norway.

Living in Germany costs about 29% less than in Norway on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Germany 53% above, Norway 114% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.60 €14.87

$23.16 NOK 213

-28.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €64.3

$106 NOK 976

-32.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.86

$16.07 NOK 148

-24.58%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.55

$5.77 NOK 53.0

-31.37%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$4.15 NOK 38.11

-19.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.59

$3.21 NOK 29.46

-9.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.54

$11.76 NOK 108

-56.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.03

$11.59 NOK 106

-61.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$2.43 NOK 22.34

-48.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$3.89 NOK 35.74

-43.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.17

$3.67 NOK 33.76

-3.54%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.48

$5.38 NOK 49.45

-27.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 €12.75

$13.96 NOK 128

2.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 €10.66

$16.77 NOK 154

-29.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.68 €18.52

$32.96 NOK 303

-37.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$3.77 NOK 34.61

-13.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.87 NOK 26.33

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$3.65 NOK 33.57

-36.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.84

$5.36 NOK 49.22

-19.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.74 NOK 25.16

-44.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$3.13 NOK 28.73

-52.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.94 NOK 27.01

-44.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$2.32 NOK 21.33

-56.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 €8.68

$18.04 NOK 166

-46.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.38

$18.09 NOK 166

-66.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$3.62 NOK 33.30

-69.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.40

$4.49 NOK 41.24

-65.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.85 €3.44

$4.81 NOK 44.15

-19.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.7 €62.4

$84.1 NOK 772

-17.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.78

$12.48 NOK 115

-57.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 €2.51

$1.86 NOK 17.12

51.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.83 €34.78

$72.9 NOK 670

-46.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.30 NOK 21.16

-7.39%

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

$32.6K €29.2K

$49.4K NOK 453.9K

-34.10%

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

$37.7K €33.8K

$44.9K NOK 412.3K

-15.92%

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

$342 €306

$279 NOK 2,562

22.66%

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

$24.87 €22.27

$39.68 NOK 365

-37.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.49 €43.43

$74.2 NOK 681

-34.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 €35.30

$50.9 NOK 468

-22.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 €24.61

$37.79 NOK 347

-27.31%

Cinema Ticket

$14.65 €13.12

$18.88 NOK 173

-22.40%

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

$611 €547

$297 NOK 2,732

105.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K €15.5K

$8,106 NOK 74.5K

113.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.8

$111 NOK 1,017

-19.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.07 €37.67

$57.4 NOK 528

-26.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €88.0

$125 NOK 1,150

-21.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$171 NOK 1,573

-23.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 €837

$1,491 NOK 13.7K

-37.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 €643

$1,169 NOK 10.7K

-38.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,526

$2,330 NOK 21.4K

-26.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,159

$1,851 NOK 17.0K

-30.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,944 €5,323

$7,127 NOK 65.5K

-16.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,958 €3,545

$5,279 NOK 48.5K

-25.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,290 €2,946

$4,273 NOK 39.3K

-23.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.99

-20.64%

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

Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026

Last update for Norway: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$718 34.6%

Norway

$1.2K 40.1% 62.7% $450

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$415 20%

Norway

$393 13.5% 5.5% $23

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$335 16.1%

Norway

$519 17.8% 54.9% $184

Eating Out

Germany

$276 13.3%

Norway

$414 14.2% 50% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$162 7.8%

Norway

$209 7.2% 29% $47

Getting Around

Germany

$104 5%

Norway

$125 4.3% 19.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$69 3.3%

Norway

$89 3% 29.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $812 in Germany, $1,278 in Norway. Capital cities: $1,407 in Berlin vs $2,133 in Oslo.

National salary averages: $3,107 in Germany, $4,024 in Norway. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 57% higher in Norway.

Dining out costs 49% more in Norway.

Public transport is 21% more expensive in Norway.

Salaries are 30% higher in Norway, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇳🇴 Norway

🕒 Local time

22:38 10:38 PM

Same time as Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

5,594,340

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Germany Norway 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Germany
Norway

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

Germany vs Norway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,080 per month in Germany and $2,917 in Norway, Germany comes out about 29% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Germany: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,278 in Norway and $812 in Germany. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Germany, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in Norway it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Germany wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.