Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bergen: $2,844 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Bergen
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,844
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,086 in London versus $2,844 in Bergen.

  • London $4,086
  • Bergen $2,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,816 in London versus $4,282 in Bergen.

  • London $5,816
  • Bergen $4,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,546 in London versus $5,719 in Bergen.

  • London $7,546
  • Bergen $5,719

Living in London is roughly 44% more expensive than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 205% above, Bergen 112% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Bergen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.62 £20.11
$22.98 NOK 219
15.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 £81.3
$135 NOK 1,292
-20.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.39 £7.85
$15.52 NOK 148
-33.05%
Cappuccino
$5.79 £4.38
$5.42 NOK 51.8
6.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 £2.27
$5.10 NOK 48.71
-40.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 £1.63
$4.47 NOK 42.65
-51.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.35 £7.06
$12.57 NOK 120
-25.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.84 £5.93
$10.41 NOK 99.4
-24.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Bergen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 £1.35
$2.15 NOK 20.57
-16.74%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 £1.56
$3.78 NOK 36.13
-45.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 £1.74
$3.51 NOK 33.54
-34.19%
Eggs
$5.05 £3.82
$6.41 NOK 61.3
-21.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.57 £9.50
$14.32 NOK 137
-12.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.66 £8.05
$17.21 NOK 164
-38.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.13 £12.94
$36.16 NOK 345
-52.63%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 £2.29
$4.12 NOK 39.38
-26.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 £1.07
$2.72 NOK 25.95
-48.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 £2.31
$3.61 NOK 34.44
-15.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.38 £2.56
$5.39 NOK 51.4
-37.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 £1.26
$2.52 NOK 24.02
-33.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.31
$3.35 NOK 31.97
-48.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 £1.07
$2.86 NOK 27.34
-50.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 £1.35
$1.78 NOK 17.03
0.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.22 £17.55
$17.10 NOK 163
35.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.99 £9.82
$17.97 NOK 172
-27.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.18 £2.40
$3.59 NOK 34.31
-11.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 £3.33
$4.21 NOK 40.20
4.75%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Bergen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.87 £2.93
$5.15 NOK 49.21
-24.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$250 £189
$86.4 NOK 825
189.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.71 £4.31
$12.39 NOK 118
-53.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 £2.51
$1.84 NOK 17.61
80.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$57.9 £43.76
$70.5 NOK 674
-17.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.54
$2.35 NOK 22.42
-13.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K £28.4K
$48.6K NOK 463.7K
-22.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.9K
$43.3K NOK 413.9K
-5.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Bergen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$376 £284
$275 NOK 2,623
36.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.88 £13.51
$32.93 NOK 314
-45.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.01 £30.24
$82.9 NOK 791
-51.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Bergen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.2 £46.22
$45.61 NOK 436
34.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.07 £15.93
$41.77 NOK 399
-49.56%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.57
$18.87 NOK 180
-4.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Bergen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,865 £2,165
$238 NOK 2,272
1104.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.7K
$12.0K NOK 114.9K
193.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Bergen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £87.7
$107 NOK 1,022
8.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.1 £40.87
$54.6 NOK 522
-0.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 £95.7
$118 NOK 1,128
7.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$159 £120
$162 NOK 1,545
-1.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Bergen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,853 £2,156
$1,414 NOK 13.5K
101.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,301 £1,739
$1,083 NOK 10.3K
112.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,201 £3,931
$2,348 NOK 22.4K
121.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,723 £2,813
$1,696 NOK 16.2K
119.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$19.0K £14.4K
$7,822 NOK 74.7K
143.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,881 £5,955
$4,769 NOK 45.5K
65.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Bergen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,818 £3,641
$4,527 NOK 43.2K
6.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.65
5.27
-11.76%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Bergen
$1.1K 52.9% $1.2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$434
Bergen
$390 10% $44
Eating Out
London
$397
Bergen
$417 5.2% $21
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Bergen
$524 50% $175
Getting Around
London
$288
Bergen
$129 55.3% $159
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Bergen
$199 3.2% $6.5
Sport & Entertainment
London
$97
Bergen
$83 14.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,853 in London and $1,414 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 6% 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: $108 in London vs $135 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $524 per month, with London cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇳🇴 Bergen
🕒 Local time
07:29 7:29 AM
08:29 8:29 AM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
292,482
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Bergen 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • 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
London vs Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bergen cheaper than London?
Bergen is cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: London or Bergen?
Average pay runs 6% higher in London, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between London and Bergen?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,853 in London versus $1,414 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $2,865 in London versus $238 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 London and in Bergen?
Shoppers in London pay roughly 50% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in London or in Bergen?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Bergen is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is London or Bergen more family-friendly?
For families, Bergen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, London or Bergen?
Safety-wise, London and Bergen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Bergen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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