Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamar and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamar: $2,461 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
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Hamar Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,461

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamar and in Stavanger

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,461 in Hamar versus $3,248 in Stavanger.

Hamar $2,461
Stavanger $3,248

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,857 in Hamar versus $4,717 in Stavanger.

Hamar $3,857
Stavanger $4,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,253 in Hamar versus $6,186 in Stavanger.

Hamar $5,253
Stavanger $6,186

Living in Hamar costs roughly 24% less than in Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamar 81% above, Stavanger 139% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.67 NOK 199

$24.67 NOK 227

-12.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 NOK 1,188

$98.0 NOK 900

31.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.21 NOK 149

$16.23 NOK 149

-0.12%

Cappuccino

$5.89 NOK 54.1

$6.22 NOK 57.1

-5.31%

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

$4.52 NOK 41.53

$5.89 NOK 54.1

-23.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 NOK 31.13

$4.53 NOK 41.60

-25.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.04 NOK 111

$13.76 NOK 126

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.70 NOK 80.0

$10.62 NOK 97.6

-18.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.56 NOK 23.53

$2.53 NOK 23.22

1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 NOK 28.50

$3.52 NOK 32.32

-11.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 NOK 19.26

$3.98 NOK 36.53

-47.24%

Eggs

$6.23 NOK 57.3

$4.75 NOK 43.68

31.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.12 NOK 102

$15.22 NOK 140

-26.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.62 NOK 116

$17.54 NOK 161

-28.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.47 NOK 289

$36.16 NOK 332

-12.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 30.88

$3.53 NOK 32.44

-4.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 NOK 25.47

$2.86 NOK 26.25

-3.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NOK 28.34

$3.62 NOK 33.25

-14.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 NOK 56.7

$4.93 NOK 45.29

25.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 NOK 23.01

$2.55 NOK 23.46

-1.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 NOK 24.01

$3.11 NOK 28.58

-16.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 NOK 20.16

$2.90 NOK 26.61

-24.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 NOK 18.45

$2.33 NOK 21.41

-13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.50 NOK 179

$18.27 NOK 168

6.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.93 NOK 156

$18.94 NOK 174

-10.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 NOK 32.66

$3.80 NOK 34.94

-6.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 NOK 40.24

$4.51 NOK 41.44

-2.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 NOK 42.77

$4.75 NOK 43.60

-1.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.2 NOK 636

$85.4 NOK 785

-18.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.31 NOK 113

$6.27 NOK 57.6

96.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 NOK 17.75

$1.80 NOK 16.54

7.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.8 NOK 669

$106 NOK 972

-31.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 NOK 21.95

$2.46 NOK 22.64

-2.85%

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

$49.6K NOK 455.5K

$49.1K NOK 451.1K

0.97%

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

$46.3K NOK 425.2K

$42.2K NOK 387.8K

9.63%

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

$230 NOK 2,113

$260 NOK 2,385

-11.39%

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

$34.38 NOK 316

$33.92 NOK 312

1.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 NOK 506

$79.9 NOK 734

-31.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 NOK 543

$52.0 NOK 477

13.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 NOK 271

$37.64 NOK 346

-21.73%

Cinema Ticket

$20.16 NOK 185

$22.16 NOK 204

-9.03%

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

$217 NOK 1,991

$325 NOK 2,990

-33.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NOK 147.5K

$14.3K NOK 131.7K

11.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 957

$130 NOK 1,191

-19.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.5 NOK 556

$61.9 NOK 569

-2.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 NOK 1,250

$151 NOK 1,386

-9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NOK 972

$206 NOK 1,890

-48.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 NOK 11.7K

$1,805 NOK 16.6K

-29.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$884 NOK 8,123

$1,429 NOK 13.1K

-38.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 NOK 14.7K

$2,895 NOK 26.6K

-44.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 NOK 13.9K

$2,145 NOK 19.7K

-29.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,359 NOK 40.0K

$6,468 NOK 59.4K

-32.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,609 NOK 33.2K

$5,430 NOK 49.9K

-33.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,415 NOK 40.6K

$5,086 NOK 46.7K

-13.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

5.24

-5.73%

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

Last update for Hamar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamar

$884 35.9%

Stavanger

$1.4K 44% 61.6% $545

Groceries & Markets

Hamar

$463 18.8%

Stavanger

$530 16.3% 14.5% $67

Eating Out

Hamar

$402 16.3%

Stavanger

$452 13.9% 12.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamar

$319 13%

Stavanger

$373 11.5% 16.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Hamar

$183 7.4%

Stavanger

$247 7.6% 34.8% $64

Getting Around

Hamar

$110 4.5%

Stavanger

$120 3.7% 9% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Hamar

$99 4%

Stavanger

$96 3% 3.2% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,270 in Hamar and $1,805 in Stavanger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 15% 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: $129 in Hamar vs $98 in Stavanger. Groceries flip the comparison at $463 vs $530, with Hamar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Hamar

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

Same time as Hamar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,059

149,330

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hamar Stavanger 380 km

From you

Hamar
Stavanger

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

Hamar vs Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,461 in Hamar and $3,248 in Stavanger, so Hamar is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Hamar. 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: $1,270 in Hamar versus $1,805 in Stavanger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Stavanger. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Stavanger – a meal for two runs $98 versus $129 in Hamar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,461 in Hamar versus $3,248 in Stavanger, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hamar but tight or insufficient in Stavanger. The gap between the two cities makes Hamar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Hamar wins on affordability, Stavanger on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.