Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harstad and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Harstad: $2,611 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,611

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harstad 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 Harstad and in Stavanger actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,611 in Harstad versus $3,248 in Stavanger.

Harstad $2,611
Stavanger $3,248

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,888 in Harstad versus $4,717 in Stavanger.

Harstad $3,888
Stavanger $4,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,164 in Harstad versus $6,186 in Stavanger.

Harstad $5,164
Stavanger $6,186

Living in Harstad costs roughly 20% less than in Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Harstad 92% above, Stavanger 139% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.27 NOK 131

$24.67 NOK 227

-42.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 971

$98.0 NOK 900

7.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.97 NOK 147

$16.23 NOK 149

-1.60%

Cappuccino

$6.27 NOK 57.6

$6.22 NOK 57.1

0.80%

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

$3.70 NOK 34.03

$5.89 NOK 54.1

-37.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 NOK 29.18

$4.53 NOK 41.60

-29.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.77 NOK 117

$13.76 NOK 126

-7.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.04 NOK 129

$10.62 NOK 97.6

32.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 NOK 23.33

$2.53 NOK 23.22

0.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 NOK 31.10

$3.52 NOK 32.32

-3.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 NOK 28.83

$3.98 NOK 36.53

-21.11%

Eggs

$4.42 NOK 40.61

$4.75 NOK 43.68

-6.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 NOK 104

$15.22 NOK 140

-25.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.31 NOK 141

$17.54 NOK 161

-12.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.97 NOK 386

$36.16 NOK 332

16.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 NOK 39.30

$3.53 NOK 32.44

21.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 NOK 26.38

$2.86 NOK 26.25

0.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 NOK 35.55

$3.62 NOK 33.25

6.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 NOK 43.97

$4.93 NOK 45.29

-2.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 NOK 20.33

$2.55 NOK 23.46

-13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NOK 20.03

$3.11 NOK 28.58

-29.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 27.55

$2.90 NOK 26.61

3.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 21.49

$2.33 NOK 21.41

0.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.41 NOK 151

$18.27 NOK 168

-10.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.93 NOK 146

$18.94 NOK 174

-15.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 NOK 35.82

$3.80 NOK 34.94

2.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 NOK 44.90

$4.51 NOK 41.44

8.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.17 NOK 56.7

$4.75 NOK 43.60

29.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 NOK 772

$85.4 NOK 785

-1.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.98 NOK 147

$6.27 NOK 57.6

154.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 17.52

$1.80 NOK 16.54

6.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.0 NOK 533

$106 NOK 972

-45.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 NOK 21.48

$2.46 NOK 22.64

-4.88%

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

$36.9K NOK 339.4K

$49.1K NOK 451.1K

-24.77%

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

$31.6K NOK 290.4K

$42.2K NOK 387.8K

-25.12%

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

$173 NOK 1,587

$260 NOK 2,385

-33.46%

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

$35.51 NOK 326

$33.92 NOK 312

4.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 NOK 731

$79.9 NOK 734

-0.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.72 NOK 457

$52.0 NOK 477

-4.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.95 NOK 339

$37.64 NOK 346

-1.83%

Cinema Ticket

$17.75 NOK 163

$22.16 NOK 204

-19.90%

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

$325 NOK 2,985

$325 NOK 2,990

-0.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,295 NOK 48.6K

$14.3K NOK 131.7K

-63.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 NOK 632

$130 NOK 1,191

-46.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.70 NOK 328

$61.9 NOK 569

-42.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NOK 1,115

$151 NOK 1,386

-19.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 NOK 1,563

$206 NOK 1,890

-17.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 NOK 13.0K

$1,805 NOK 16.6K

-21.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 NOK 9,673

$1,429 NOK 13.1K

-26.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,352 NOK 21.6K

$2,895 NOK 26.6K

-18.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 NOK 14.1K

$2,145 NOK 19.7K

-28.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,396 NOK 58.8K

$6,468 NOK 59.4K

-1.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,354 NOK 40.0K

$5,430 NOK 49.9K

-19.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,511 NOK 32.3K

$5,086 NOK 46.7K

-30.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

-4.58%

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

Last update for Harstad: October 24, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harstad

$1.1K 40.3%

Stavanger

$1.4K 44% 35.7% $376

Groceries & Markets

Harstad

$516 19.8%

Stavanger

$530 16.3% 2.8% $14

Eating Out

Harstad

$357 13.7%

Stavanger

$452 13.9% 26.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harstad

$288 11%

Stavanger

$373 11.5% 29.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Harstad

$178 6.8%

Stavanger

$247 7.6% 38.4% $68

Getting Around

Harstad

$134 5.1%

Stavanger

$120 3.7% 10.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Harstad

$85 3.3%

Stavanger

$96 3% 13% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,411 in Harstad and $1,805 in Stavanger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $106 in Harstad vs $98 in Stavanger. Groceries flip the comparison at $516 vs $530, with Harstad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Harstad

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

Same time as Harstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,119

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

Harstad Stavanger 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Harstad
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

Harstad vs Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harstad is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Harstad. 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: $1,411 in Harstad versus $1,805 in Stavanger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Stavanger. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,611 per month in Harstad versus $3,248 in Stavanger – Harstad is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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.

Safety-wise, Harstad and Stavanger are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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