Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kristiansand and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Kristiansand: $2,685 a month against $3,182 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Kristiansand
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Kristiansand Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Kristiansand

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,685

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,685 in Kristiansand versus $3,182 in Stavanger.

Kristiansand $2,685
Stavanger $3,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,020 in Kristiansand versus $4,594 in Stavanger.

Kristiansand $4,020
Stavanger $4,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,355 in Kristiansand versus $6,007 in Stavanger.

Kristiansand $5,355
Stavanger $6,007

Living in Kristiansand costs roughly 16% less than in Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kristiansand 98% above, Stavanger 135% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.76 NOK 271

$24.06 NOK 227

19.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 NOK 798

$96.0 NOK 904

-11.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.39 NOK 154

$15.68 NOK 148

4.53%

Cappuccino

$4.84 NOK 45.59

$6.18 NOK 58.2

-21.68%

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

$3.31 NOK 31.18

$5.74 NOK 54.1

-42.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 22.02

$4.51 NOK 42.48

-48.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.69 NOK 119

$14.04 NOK 132

-9.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.24 NOK 87.0

$10.57 NOK 99.5

-12.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 NOK 21.81

$2.52 NOK 23.72

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 NOK 39.43

$3.51 NOK 33.07

19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 37.46

$3.97 NOK 37.39

0.25%

Eggs

$5.70 NOK 53.7

$4.79 NOK 45.06

19.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 NOK 121

$14.72 NOK 139

-12.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.49 NOK 146

$17.47 NOK 164

-11.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$43.89 NOK 413

$36.08 NOK 340

21.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 NOK 41.52

$3.52 NOK 33.12

25.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 NOK 23.45

$2.84 NOK 26.71

-12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 NOK 37.80

$3.61 NOK 33.98

11.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 NOK 43.77

$4.94 NOK 46.50

-5.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.00

$2.62 NOK 24.64

-2.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 NOK 22.85

$3.19 NOK 30.06

-23.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.13 NOK 29.48

$2.75 NOK 25.91

13.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 NOK 20.94

$2.31 NOK 21.76

-3.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.30 NOK 163

$17.56 NOK 165

-1.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.80 NOK 149

$19.06 NOK 179

-17.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.61 NOK 34.01

$3.82 NOK 35.97

-5.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 NOK 37.54

$4.60 NOK 43.28

-13.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 NOK 36.68

$4.70 NOK 44.26

-17.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.2 NOK 680

$88.6 NOK 834

-18.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 NOK 76.1

$6.33 NOK 59.6

27.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 15.96

$1.72 NOK 16.19

-1.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 NOK 535

$103 NOK 973

-44.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.23

$2.39 NOK 22.47

-5.44%

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

$49.0K NOK 461.1K

$49.2K NOK 462.7K

-0.36%

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

$45.1K NOK 424.5K

$41.3K NOK 388.4K

9.29%

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

$217 NOK 2,045

$262 NOK 2,466

-17.08%

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

$31.89 NOK 300

$34.42 NOK 324

-7.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 NOK 574

$79.6 NOK 749

-23.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.67 NOK 458

$54.4 NOK 512

-10.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.18 NOK 341

$37.43 NOK 352

-3.34%

Cinema Ticket

$15.80 NOK 149

$22.32 NOK 210

-29.21%

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

$309 NOK 2,908

$331 NOK 3,112

-6.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,680 NOK 25.2K

$14.4K NOK 135.5K

-81.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 NOK 1,084

$129 NOK 1,218

-10.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 NOK 531

$60.9 NOK 573

-7.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 NOK 1,110

$147 NOK 1,383

-19.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,503

$204 NOK 1,919

-21.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 NOK 11.2K

$1,691 NOK 15.9K

-29.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 NOK 9,499

$1,367 NOK 12.9K

-26.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,889 NOK 17.8K

$2,768 NOK 26.1K

-31.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 NOK 14.9K

$1,987 NOK 18.7K

-20.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,916 NOK 46.3K

$6,409 NOK 60.3K

-23.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,561 NOK 33.5K

$5,282 NOK 49.7K

-32.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 NOK 40.1K

$5,084 NOK 47.9K

-16.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

5.24

-4.39%

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

Last update for Kristiansand: October 20, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kristiansand

$1K 37.6%

Stavanger

$1.4K 43% 35.4% $358

Groceries & Markets

Kristiansand

$537 20%

Stavanger

$528 16.6% 1.7% $9

Eating Out

Kristiansand

$442 16.5%

Stavanger

$446 14% 0.9% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kristiansand

$310 11.6%

Stavanger

$376 11.8% 21.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Kristiansand

$202 7.5%

Stavanger

$243 7.7% 20.4% $41

Getting Around

Kristiansand

$104 3.9%

Stavanger

$122 3.8% 17.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Kristiansand

$80 3%

Stavanger

$99 3.1% 23.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,194 in Kristiansand and $1,691 in Stavanger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 19% 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: $85.0 in Kristiansand vs $96.0 in Stavanger. Groceries flip the comparison at $537 vs $528, with Stavanger cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Kristiansand

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

Same time as Kristiansand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,213

149,330

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kristiansand Stavanger 160 km

From you

Kristiansand
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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

Kristiansand vs Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kristiansand is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Stavanger. 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: $1,194 in Kristiansand versus $1,691 in Stavanger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Stavanger pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Kristiansand – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $96.0 in Stavanger. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

For families, Kristiansand is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Stavanger, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kristiansand and Stavanger 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 Kristiansand gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.