Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lillehammer and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Lillehammer: $1,521 a month against $3,093 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Lillehammer
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Lillehammer Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Lillehammer

🇳🇴 Norway

$1,521

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,521 in Lillehammer versus $3,093 in Bergen.

Lillehammer $1,521
Bergen $3,093

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,414 in Lillehammer versus $4,619 in Bergen.

Lillehammer $2,414
Bergen $4,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,308 in Lillehammer versus $6,145 in Bergen.

Lillehammer $3,308
Bergen $6,145

Living in Lillehammer costs roughly 51% less than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lillehammer 12% above, Bergen 127% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 NOK 160

$23.85 NOK 222

-27.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 NOK 805

$141 NOK 1,313

-38.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 NOK 136

$16.30 NOK 151

-10.12%

Cappuccino

$5.04 NOK 46.84

$5.62 NOK 52.2

-10.32%

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

$3.58 NOK 33.28

$5.19 NOK 48.23

-31.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 NOK 22.44

$4.57 NOK 42.47

-47.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.94 NOK 102

$12.92 NOK 120

-15.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 NOK 68.5

$10.71 NOK 99.5

-31.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 NOK 23.12

$2.35 NOK 21.79

5.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 NOK 32.48

$3.83 NOK 35.60

-8.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 NOK 34.30

$3.45 NOK 32.02

6.96%

Eggs

$4.83 NOK 44.85

$6.67 NOK 62.0

-27.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.57 NOK 126

$14.89 NOK 138

-8.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.04 NOK 158

$17.88 NOK 166

-4.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.03 NOK 298

$37.65 NOK 350

-14.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 NOK 37.88

$4.10 NOK 38.11

-0.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 NOK 28.30

$2.80 NOK 26.03

8.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 NOK 36.62

$3.70 NOK 34.38

6.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.69 NOK 52.9

$5.54 NOK 51.5

2.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 NOK 27.76

$2.46 NOK 22.90

21.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 NOK 28.21

$3.41 NOK 31.67

-10.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 NOK 27.95

$3.08 NOK 28.60

-2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 NOK 21.11

$1.83 NOK 17.02

24.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.85 NOK 166

$17.65 NOK 164

1.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.12 NOK 178

$19.73 NOK 183

-3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 NOK 33.40

$3.83 NOK 35.56

-6.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 NOK 44.54

$4.44 NOK 41.24

7.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 NOK 22.44

$5.32 NOK 49.47

-54.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 NOK 827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.64 NOK 89.5

$12.82 NOK 119

-24.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NOK 15.25

$1.95 NOK 18.14

-15.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.9 NOK 566

$74.9 NOK 696

-18.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 NOK 22.92

$2.41 NOK 22.36

2.49%

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

$47.0K NOK 436.3K

$50.1K NOK 465.1K

-6.20%

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

$46.9K NOK 435.8K

$44.8K NOK 415.9K

4.78%

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

$281 NOK 2,613

$292 NOK 2,709

-3.55%

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

$35.85 NOK 333

$33.90 NOK 315

5.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.3 NOK 765

$85.1 NOK 790

-3.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.43 NOK 450

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.06 NOK 409

Cinema Ticket

$19.23 NOK 179

$19.28 NOK 179

-0.26%

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

$303 NOK 2,818

$251 NOK 2,331

20.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,579 NOK 42.5K

$12.0K NOK 111.2K

-61.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 NOK 1,021

$108 NOK 1,000

2.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.6 NOK 488

$56.1 NOK 521

-6.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,160

$120 NOK 1,116

3.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 NOK 1,473

$166 NOK 1,541

-4.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 NOK 10.1K

$1,627 NOK 15.1K

-33.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 NOK 11.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 NOK 24.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 NOK 17.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 NOK 31.5K

$8,228 NOK 76.4K

-58.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,373 NOK 12.8K

$5,382 NOK 50.0K

-74.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,148 NOK 20.0K

$4,732 NOK 44.0K

-54.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

5.27

0.95%

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

Last update for Lillehammer: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lillehammer

$519 34.1%

Bergen

$545 17.6% 5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lillehammer

$399 26.3%

Bergen

$411 13.3% 2.8% $11

Eating Out

Lillehammer

$336 22.1%

Bergen

$432 14% 28.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Lillehammer

$201 13.2%

Bergen

$202 6.5% 0.8% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lillehammer

$38 * 2.5%

Bergen

$87 2.8% 126% $49

Getting Around

Lillehammer

$28 * 1.8%

Bergen

$133 4.3% 383% $105

Accommodation & Living

Lillehammer

- * 0%

Bergen

$1.3K 41.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,090 in Lillehammer and $1,627 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Lillehammer vs $141 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $519 vs $545 per month, with Lillehammer cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Lillehammer

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

Same time as Lillehammer

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,831

292,482

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lillehammer Bergen 290 km

From you

Lillehammer
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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

Lillehammer vs Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lillehammer is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Lillehammer. 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: $1,090 in Lillehammer versus $1,627 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $303 in Lillehammer versus $251 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lillehammer – a meal for two runs $87 versus $141 in Bergen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lillehammer 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, Lillehammer and Bergen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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