Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kongsberg and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kongsberg: $2,733 a month against $3,093 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Kongsberg, Norway
Bergen, Norway
Kongsberg
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,733
/mo nomad
Bergen
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,093
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kongsberg and in Bergen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,733 in Kongsberg versus $3,093 in Bergen.

  • Kongsberg $2,733
  • Bergen $3,093

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,003 in Kongsberg versus $4,619 in Bergen.

  • Kongsberg $4,003
  • Bergen $4,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,273 in Kongsberg versus $6,145 in Bergen.

  • Kongsberg $5,273
  • Bergen $6,145

Living in Kongsberg costs roughly 12% less than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kongsberg 101% above, Bergen 127% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kongsberg
Bergen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.54 NOK 198
$23.85 NOK 220
-9.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.6 NOK 687
$141 NOK 1,302
-47.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.41 NOK 151
$16.30 NOK 150
0.67%
Cappuccino
$5.31 NOK 48.91
$5.62 NOK 51.8
-5.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.51 NOK 41.54
$5.19 NOK 47.85
-13.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 NOK 30.92
$4.57 NOK 42.13
-26.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.01 NOK 111
$12.92 NOK 119
-7.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.81 NOK 99.6
$10.71 NOK 98.7
0.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kongsberg
Bergen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.60 NOK 23.96
$2.35 NOK 21.62
10.64%
White Bread (500g)
$3.19 NOK 29.41
$3.83 NOK 35.32
-16.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.75 NOK 43.81
$3.45 NOK 31.77
37.68%
Eggs
$5.14 NOK 47.41
$6.67 NOK 61.5
-22.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.90 NOK 100
$14.89 NOK 137
-26.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.75 NOK 117
$17.88 NOK 165
-28.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.75 NOK 173
$37.65 NOK 347
-50.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.21 NOK 29.57
$4.10 NOK 37.80
-21.71%
Banana (1kg)
$2.77 NOK 25.49
$2.80 NOK 25.82
-1.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.47 NOK 31.99
$3.70 NOK 34.11
-6.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.07 NOK 46.76
$5.54 NOK 51.1
-8.48%
Potato (1kg)
$2.63 NOK 24.24
$2.46 NOK 22.72
6.91%
Onion (1kg)
$2.64 NOK 24.29
$3.41 NOK 31.42
-22.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.18 NOK 29.32
$3.08 NOK 28.37
3.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.53 NOK 23.35
$1.83 NOK 16.88
38.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.99 NOK 166
$17.65 NOK 163
1.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.42 NOK 151
$19.73 NOK 182
-16.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.64 NOK 33.57
$3.83 NOK 35.28
-4.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.91 NOK 36.00
$4.44 NOK 40.91
-11.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Kongsberg
Bergen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.17 NOK 29.21
$5.32 NOK 49.07
-40.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.9 NOK 884
$89.0 NOK 820
7.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.11 NOK 112
$12.82 NOK 118
-5.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.83 NOK 16.91
$1.95 NOK 18.00
-6.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.51 NOK 300
$74.9 NOK 690
-56.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.39 NOK 22.04
$2.41 NOK 22.18
-0.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.5K NOK 455.8K
$50.1K NOK 461.4K
-1.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.5K NOK 419.1K
$44.8K NOK 412.6K
1.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kongsberg
Bergen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$318 NOK 2,933
$292 NOK 2,688
9.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.53 NOK 263
$33.90 NOK 312
-15.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.4 NOK 502
$85.1 NOK 784
-36.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kongsberg
Bergen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.00 NOK 442
$48.43 NOK 446
-0.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$58.5 NOK 539
$44.06 NOK 406
32.84%
Cinema Ticket
$20.59 NOK 190
$19.28 NOK 178
6.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kongsberg
Bergen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$245 NOK 2,256
$251 NOK 2,312
-2.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,922 NOK 36.1K
$12.0K NOK 110.4K
-67.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kongsberg
Bergen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.0 NOK 867
$108 NOK 992
-12.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.1 NOK 508
$56.1 NOK 517
-1.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$134 NOK 1,237
$120 NOK 1,107
11.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$159 NOK 1,465
$166 NOK 1,529
-4.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kongsberg
Bergen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 NOK 9,909
$1,627 NOK 15.0K
-33.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 NOK 9,938
$1,283 NOK 11.8K
-15.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,973 NOK 18.2K
$2,668 NOK 24.6K
-26.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,749 NOK 16.1K
$1,928 NOK 17.8K
-9.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,377 NOK 58.8K
$8,228 NOK 75.8K
-22.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,352 NOK 40.1K
$5,382 NOK 49.6K
-19.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kongsberg
Bergen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,667 NOK 33.8K
$4,732 NOK 43.6K
-22.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.94
5.27
-6.26%

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

Last update for Kongsberg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kongsberg
$1.1K
Bergen
$1.3K 19% $205
Groceries & Markets
Kongsberg
$437
Bergen
$545 24.7% $108
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kongsberg
$401
Bergen
$411 2.3% $9.3
Eating Out
Kongsberg
$398
Bergen
$432 8.5% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Kongsberg
$199
Bergen
$202 1.7% $3.3
Getting Around
Kongsberg
$130
Bergen
$133 2.3% $3
Sport & Entertainment
Kongsberg
$89
Bergen
$87 2.5% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,075 in Kongsberg and $1,627 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Kongsberg vs $141 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $437 vs $545 per month, with Kongsberg cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Kongsberg
🇳🇴 Bergen
🕒 Local time
14:50 2:50 PM
14:50 2:50 PM
Same time as Kongsberg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
28,878
292,482
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kongsberg Bergen 260 km
From you
  • Kongsberg
  • Bergen

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
Kongsberg vs Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kongsberg cheaper than Bergen?
Kongsberg is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Kongsberg or Bergen?
On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Kongsberg. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Kongsberg and Bergen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,075 in Kongsberg versus $1,627 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $245 in Kongsberg versus $251 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Kongsberg and in Bergen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Kongsberg or in Bergen?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Kongsberg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is it better to live in Kongsberg or in Bergen?
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.
Which city is safer, Kongsberg or Bergen?
Safety-wise, Kongsberg and Bergen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Kongsberg wins on affordability, Bergen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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