Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harstad and Trondheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Harstad: $2,611 a month against $3,027 in Trondheim, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
145

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
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Trondheim Living Index

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Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,611

/mo nomad

Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harstad and in Trondheim

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 Trondheim actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,611 in Harstad versus $3,027 in Trondheim.

Harstad $2,611
Trondheim $3,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,888 in Harstad versus $4,390 in Trondheim.

Harstad $3,888
Trondheim $4,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,164 in Harstad versus $5,752 in Trondheim.

Harstad $5,164
Trondheim $5,752

Living in Harstad costs roughly 14% less than in Trondheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Harstad 92% above, Trondheim 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.27 NOK 131

$21.10 NOK 194

-32.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 971

$108 NOK 996

-2.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.97 NOK 147

$16.26 NOK 149

-1.78%

Cappuccino

$6.27 NOK 57.6

$5.58 NOK 51.3

12.37%

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

$3.70 NOK 34.03

$5.90 NOK 54.2

-37.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 NOK 29.18

$4.40 NOK 40.38

-27.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.77 NOK 117

$13.21 NOK 121

-3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.04 NOK 129

$13.16 NOK 121

6.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 NOK 23.33

$2.52 NOK 23.12

0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 NOK 31.10

$3.55 NOK 32.58

-4.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 NOK 28.83

$3.83 NOK 35.20

-18.02%

Eggs

$4.42 NOK 40.61

$5.01 NOK 45.98

-11.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 NOK 104

$13.20 NOK 121

-13.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.31 NOK 141

$17.00 NOK 156

-9.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.97 NOK 386

$32.32 NOK 297

29.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 NOK 39.30

$4.01 NOK 36.84

6.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 NOK 26.38

$3.05 NOK 28.04

-5.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 NOK 35.55

$3.87 NOK 35.57

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 NOK 43.97

$5.60 NOK 51.4

-14.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 NOK 20.33

$2.98 NOK 27.36

-25.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NOK 20.03

$3.03 NOK 27.86

-28.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 27.55

$2.98 NOK 27.35

0.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 21.49

$2.35 NOK 21.63

-0.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.41 NOK 151

$18.01 NOK 165

-8.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.93 NOK 146

$18.61 NOK 171

-14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 NOK 35.82

$3.68 NOK 33.80

5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 NOK 44.90

$4.53 NOK 41.59

7.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.17 NOK 56.7

$4.86 NOK 44.61

26.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 NOK 772

$102 NOK 940

-17.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.98 NOK 147

$9.63 NOK 88.5

65.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 17.52

$1.64 NOK 15.09

16.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.0 NOK 533

$61.7 NOK 567

-6.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 NOK 21.48

$2.54 NOK 23.34

-7.87%

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

$36.9K NOK 339.4K

$46.3K NOK 425.6K

-20.25%

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

$31.6K NOK 290.4K

$46.2K NOK 424.2K

-31.54%

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

$173 NOK 1,587

$281 NOK 2,579

-38.47%

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

$35.51 NOK 326

$36.31 NOK 334

-2.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 NOK 731

$84.9 NOK 780

-6.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.72 NOK 457

$45.31 NOK 416

9.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.95 NOK 339

$40.99 NOK 377

-9.86%

Cinema Ticket

$17.75 NOK 163

$19.70 NOK 181

-9.90%

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

$325 NOK 2,985

$305 NOK 2,798

6.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,295 NOK 48.6K

$4,591 NOK 42.2K

15.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 NOK 632

$109 NOK 998

-36.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.70 NOK 328

$51.4 NOK 472

-30.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NOK 1,115

$121 NOK 1,112

0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 NOK 1,563

$158 NOK 1,455

7.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 NOK 13.0K

$1,635 NOK 15.0K

-13.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 NOK 9,673

$1,266 NOK 11.6K

-16.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,352 NOK 21.6K

$2,320 NOK 21.3K

1.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 NOK 14.1K

$1,817 NOK 16.7K

-15.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,396 NOK 58.8K

$6,610 NOK 60.7K

-3.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,354 NOK 40.0K

$4,997 NOK 45.9K

-12.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,511 NOK 32.3K

$4,392 NOK 40.3K

-20.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

-6.02%

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

Last update for Harstad: October 24, 2026

Last update for Trondheim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harstad

$1.1K 40.3%

Trondheim

$1.3K 41.8% 20.3% $213

Groceries & Markets

Harstad

$516 19.8%

Trondheim

$519 17.2% 0.6% $2.9

Eating Out

Harstad

$357 13.7%

Trondheim

$418 13.8% 17.2% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harstad

$288 11%

Trondheim

$402 13.3% 39.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Harstad

$178 6.8%

Trondheim

$198 6.5% 11% $20

Getting Around

Harstad

$134 5.1%

Trondheim

$140 4.6% 4% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Harstad

$85 3.3%

Trondheim

$85 2.8% 0.6% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,411 in Harstad and $1,635 in Trondheim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trondheim pays 25% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $106 in Harstad vs $108 in Trondheim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $516 vs $519 per month, with Harstad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Harstad

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

Same time as Harstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,119

215,121

💱 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 Trondheim 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Harstad
Trondheim

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 Trondheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harstad is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% 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 $1,635 in Trondheim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Harstad runs roughly 18% less than in Trondheim. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $325 in Harstad versus $305 in Trondheim. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Trondheim are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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