Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kristiansand and Trondheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Kristiansand: $2,685 a month against $2,883 in Trondheim, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
140

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
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Trondheim Living Index

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Kristiansand

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,685

/mo nomad

Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,685 in Kristiansand versus $2,883 in Trondheim.

Kristiansand $2,685
Trondheim $2,883

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,020 in Kristiansand versus $4,253 in Trondheim.

Kristiansand $4,020
Trondheim $4,253

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,355 in Kristiansand versus $5,624 in Trondheim.

Kristiansand $5,355
Trondheim $5,624

Living in Kristiansand costs roughly 7% less than in Trondheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kristiansand 98% above, Trondheim 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.76 NOK 271

$21.15 NOK 199

35.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 NOK 798

$106 NOK 1,001

-20.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.39 NOK 154

$16.17 NOK 152

1.36%

Cappuccino

$4.84 NOK 45.59

$5.73 NOK 53.9

-15.53%

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

$3.31 NOK 31.18

$5.70 NOK 53.7

-41.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 22.02

$4.15 NOK 39.09

-43.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.69 NOK 119

$13.02 NOK 123

-2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.24 NOK 87.0

$13.08 NOK 123

-29.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 NOK 21.81

$2.57 NOK 24.15

-9.73%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 NOK 39.43

$3.50 NOK 32.91

19.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 37.46

$3.68 NOK 34.61

8.15%

Eggs

$5.70 NOK 53.7

$4.95 NOK 46.64

15.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 NOK 121

$13.06 NOK 123

-1.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.49 NOK 146

$16.61 NOK 156

-6.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$43.89 NOK 413

$32.78 NOK 309

33.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 NOK 41.52

$3.81 NOK 35.90

15.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 NOK 23.45

$3.01 NOK 28.34

-17.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 NOK 37.80

$3.96 NOK 37.25

1.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 NOK 43.77

$5.63 NOK 53.0

-17.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.00

$2.97 NOK 27.96

-14.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 NOK 22.85

$2.97 NOK 27.97

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.13 NOK 29.48

$2.86 NOK 26.90

9.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 NOK 20.94

$2.34 NOK 22.05

-5.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.30 NOK 163

$17.54 NOK 165

-1.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.80 NOK 149

$19.01 NOK 179

-16.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.61 NOK 34.01

$3.62 NOK 34.07

-0.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 NOK 37.54

$4.68 NOK 44.05

-14.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 NOK 36.68

$4.92 NOK 46.32

-20.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.2 NOK 680

$100 NOK 943

-27.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 NOK 76.1

$9.30 NOK 87.6

-13.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 15.96

$1.63 NOK 15.33

4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 NOK 535

$59.9 NOK 564

-5.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.23

$2.46 NOK 23.16

-8.13%

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

$49.0K NOK 461.1K

$46.2K NOK 434.8K

6.04%

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

$45.1K NOK 424.5K

$46.4K NOK 437.1K

-2.87%

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

$217 NOK 2,045

$275 NOK 2,587

-20.96%

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

$31.89 NOK 300

$36.49 NOK 344

-12.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 NOK 574

$84.4 NOK 795

-27.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.67 NOK 458

$43.46 NOK 409

11.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.18 NOK 341

$40.62 NOK 382

-10.93%

Cinema Ticket

$15.80 NOK 149

$19.06 NOK 179

-17.10%

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

$309 NOK 2,908

$306 NOK 2,880

0.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,680 NOK 25.2K

$4,484 NOK 42.2K

-40.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 NOK 1,084

$110 NOK 1,031

5.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 NOK 531

$50.6 NOK 476

11.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 NOK 1,110

$120 NOK 1,129

-1.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,503

$160 NOK 1,510

-0.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 NOK 11.2K

$1,484 NOK 14.0K

-19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 NOK 9,499

$1,136 NOK 10.7K

-11.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,889 NOK 17.8K

$2,243 NOK 21.1K

-15.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 NOK 14.9K

$1,722 NOK 16.2K

-8.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,916 NOK 46.3K

$6,405 NOK 60.3K

-23.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,561 NOK 33.5K

$5,147 NOK 48.5K

-30.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 NOK 40.1K

$4,388 NOK 41.3K

-2.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

5.32

-5.83%

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

Last update for Kristiansand: October 20, 2026

Last update for Trondheim: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kristiansand

$1K 37.6%

Trondheim

$1.1K 39.4% 12.6% $127

Groceries & Markets

Kristiansand

$537 20%

Trondheim

$517 17.9% 3.8% $21

Eating Out

Kristiansand

$442 16.5%

Trondheim

$417 14.5% 5.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kristiansand

$310 11.6%

Trondheim

$396 13.7% 27.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Kristiansand

$202 7.5%

Trondheim

$198 6.9% 2% $4

Getting Around

Kristiansand

$104 3.9%

Trondheim

$137 4.8% 31.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Kristiansand

$80 3%

Trondheim

$82 2.8% 1.6% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,194 in Kristiansand and $1,484 in Trondheim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trondheim pays 3% 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 $106 in Trondheim. Groceries flip the comparison at $537 vs $517, with Trondheim cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Kristiansand

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

Same time as Kristiansand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,213

215,121

💱 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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Between locations

Kristiansand Trondheim 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kristiansand
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

Kristiansand vs Trondheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kristiansand is cheaper overall, especially in transport, utilities, and leisure. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Trondheim. 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 $1,484 in Trondheim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Trondheim pay roughly 4% 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 $106 in Trondheim. 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 Trondheim, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kristiansand and Trondheim 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 7% less than in Trondheim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.