Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilversum and Arendal

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,679 a month against $2,920 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hilversum outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

142

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
Learn more

Hilversum Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
Learn more

Arendal Living Index

Jump to prices

Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,920

/mo nomad

Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hilversum and in Arendal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,920 in Hilversum versus $2,679 in Arendal.

Hilversum $2,920
Arendal $2,679

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,236 in Hilversum versus $3,805 in Arendal.

Hilversum $4,236
Arendal $3,805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,553 in Hilversum versus $4,931 in Arendal.

Hilversum $5,553
Arendal $4,931

Living in Hilversum is roughly 9% more expensive than in Arendal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hilversum 116% above, Arendal 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.73 €24.67

$19.51 NOK 184

42.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €70.7

$65.8 NOK 619

20.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.70 €14.85

$15.52 NOK 146

7.60%

Cappuccino

$4.30 €3.82

$5.33 NOK 50.2

-19.32%

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

$3.92 €3.49

$3.49 NOK 32.84

12.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.25 NOK 30.62

-8.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.92

$11.55 NOK 109

-52.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.92

$12.08 NOK 114

-54.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.31 NOK 21.78

-21.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.47 NOK 32.63

-31.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$3.78 NOK 35.56

-8.20%

Eggs

$5.27 €4.69

$4.93 NOK 46.38

6.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.72

$14.81 NOK 139

-3.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.89 €12.35

$14.35 NOK 135

-3.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 €14.64

$33.30 NOK 314

-50.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$3.49 NOK 32.83

-27.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.63 NOK 24.75

1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$3.48 NOK 32.74

-22.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 €4.63

$4.74 NOK 44.63

9.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.55 NOK 23.97

-25.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.10 NOK 29.18

-28.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.82 NOK 26.55

-47.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.24 NOK 21.13

-49.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.60 €11.21

$17.67 NOK 166

-28.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.07

$14.46 NOK 136

-52.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$3.74 NOK 35.19

-60.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$4.38 NOK 41.27

-37.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.62 €3.22

$3.69 NOK 34.72

-1.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 €58.7

$90.2 NOK 849

-26.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.89

$6.11 NOK 57.5

-9.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.70 NOK 16.03

102.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.12 €19.67

$105 NOK 986

-78.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.26 NOK 21.31

5.75%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

-13.35%

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

$42.6K €37.9K

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

3.87%

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

$265 €236

$252 NOK 2,372

5.14%

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

$28.28 €25.15

$34.68 NOK 326

-18.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 €56.2

$79.7 NOK 751

-20.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 €60.5

$36.61 NOK 345

85.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.61 €29.89

Cinema Ticket

$16.73 €14.88

$15.38 NOK 145

8.78%

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

$678 €603

$314 NOK 2,952

116.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K €13.9K

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

13.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €100

$125 NOK 1,176

-9.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.90 €42.60

$43.59 NOK 410

9.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €80.4

$124 NOK 1,165

-27.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$204 NOK 1,922

-30.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 €1,497

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

51.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 €1,274

$1,039 NOK 9,783

37.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,924 €2,601

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

87.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

57.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,800 €6,049

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

65.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,225 €4,648

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

66.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,910 €3,478

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

-5.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

4.68

-8.12%

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

Last update for Hilversum: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arendal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1%

Arendal

$1K 38.8% 27.4% $393

Eating Out

Hilversum

$390 13.4%

Arendal

$375 14% 3.7% $14

Groceries & Markets

Hilversum

$360 12.3%

Arendal

$488 18.2% 35.4% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilversum

$356 12.2%

Arendal

$366 13.7% 2.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Hilversum

$177 6.1%

Arendal

$223 8.3% 26.5% $47

Getting Around

Hilversum

$103 3.5%

Arendal

$120 4.5% 15.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Hilversum

$101 3.5%

Arendal

$67 2.5% 33.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,683 in Hilversum and $1,109 in Arendal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $80.0 in Hilversum vs $66.0 in Arendal. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $488, with Hilversum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🇳🇴 Arendal

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

Same time as Hilversum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,345

46,406

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hilversum Arendal 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hilversum
Arendal

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

Hilversum vs Arendal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilversum and Arendal differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,920 vs $2,679 including rent). Arendal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Arendal. 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: $1,683 in Hilversum versus $1,109 in Arendal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $678 in Hilversum versus $314 in Arendal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Hilversum pay roughly 35% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,679 in Arendal versus $2,920 in Hilversum, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Arendal but tight or insufficient in Hilversum. The gap between the two cities makes Arendal 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.

Safety-wise, Hilversum and Arendal 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 Arendal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Hilversum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.