Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyearbyen and Bergen

For one person, living costs are similar in Longyearbyen and in Bergen: $2,733 and $2,869 a month, rent and utilities included.

134

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
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Longyearbyen Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,733

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,733 in Longyearbyen versus $2,869 in Bergen.

Longyearbyen $2,733
Bergen $2,869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,180 in Longyearbyen versus $4,330 in Bergen.

Longyearbyen $4,180
Bergen $4,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,627 in Longyearbyen versus $5,790 in Bergen.

Longyearbyen $5,627
Bergen $5,790

Living in Longyearbyen costs roughly 5% less than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Longyearbyen 102% above, Bergen 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 NOK 189

$23.37 NOK 220

-14.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 996

$134 NOK 1,263

-21.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.00 NOK 169

$15.56 NOK 147

15.68%

Cappuccino

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$5.30 NOK 49.86

29.25%

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

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$5.07 NOK 47.70

20.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 NOK 52.5

$4.51 NOK 42.48

23.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.43 NOK 70.0

$12.55 NOK 118

-40.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 NOK 84.3

$10.56 NOK 99.4

-15.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 NOK 22.57

$2.19 NOK 20.66

9.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 NOK 34.95

$3.92 NOK 36.88

-5.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 NOK 40.78

$3.42 NOK 32.20

26.61%

Eggs

$4.97 NOK 46.82

$6.34 NOK 59.7

-21.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 NOK 134

$14.80 NOK 139

-3.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.30 NOK 191

$17.41 NOK 164

16.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.52 NOK 297

$36.51 NOK 344

-13.67%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 NOK 60.5

$4.12 NOK 38.83

55.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.03

$2.68 NOK 25.22

-4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$3.48 NOK 32.77

96.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.66 NOK 62.7

$5.46 NOK 51.4

21.98%

Potato (1kg)

$5.49 NOK 51.7

$2.51 NOK 23.59

118.73%

Onion (1kg)

$4.53 NOK 42.66

$3.38 NOK 31.78

34.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.51 NOK 42.50

$2.83 NOK 26.68

59.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 NOK 33.23

$1.79 NOK 16.84

97.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.34 NOK 163

$17.41 NOK 164

-0.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.45 NOK 136

$18.96 NOK 178

-23.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 NOK 33.31

$3.58 NOK 33.66

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 NOK 39.93

$4.22 NOK 39.70

0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.27 NOK 49.65

$5.05 NOK 47.54

4.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 NOK 811

$85.0 NOK 800

1.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 NOK 85.3

$12.36 NOK 116

-26.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.93

$1.92 NOK 18.05

-6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.7 NOK 694

$71.5 NOK 673

3.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 NOK 20.05

$2.44 NOK 22.96

-12.70%

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

$50.3K NOK 473.1K

$48.7K NOK 458.5K

3.19%

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

$41.3K NOK 388.9K

$43.0K NOK 405.0K

-3.97%

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

$242 NOK 2,274

$281 NOK 2,641

-13.90%

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

$32.99 NOK 311

$32.84 NOK 309

0.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$81.5 NOK 767

-33.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 NOK 475

$45.18 NOK 425

11.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.19 NOK 341

$42.91 NOK 404

-15.66%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 NOK 140

$18.56 NOK 175

-19.99%

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

$200 NOK 1,887

$239 NOK 2,251

-16.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K NOK 133.8K

$11.6K NOK 109.6K

22.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 981

$107 NOK 1,003

-2.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 NOK 530

$53.3 NOK 502

5.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,179

$119 NOK 1,116

5.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NOK 1,447

$163 NOK 1,534

-5.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 NOK 10.4K

$1,483 NOK 14.0K

-25.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 NOK 9,569

$1,117 NOK 10.5K

-8.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 NOK 18.7K

$2,327 NOK 21.9K

-14.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

$1,714 NOK 16.1K

-0.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,197 NOK 58.3K

$7,835 NOK 73.8K

-20.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,017 NOK 37.8K

$4,754 NOK 44.8K

-15.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,931 NOK 27.6K

$4,567 NOK 43.0K

-35.81%

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 Longyearbyen: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Longyearbyen

$1K 37.2%

Bergen

$1.1K 38.9% 9.9% $100

Groceries & Markets

Longyearbyen

$586 21.5%

Bergen

$530 18.5% 9.6% $56

Eating Out

Longyearbyen

$398 14.6%

Bergen

$419 14.6% 5.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyearbyen

$329 12%

Bergen

$395 13.8% 20.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Longyearbyen

$198 7.2%

Bergen

$199 6.9% 0.4% $0.9

Getting Around

Longyearbyen

$125 4.6%

Bergen

$127 4.4% 1.5% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Longyearbyen

$80 2.9%

Bergen

$82 2.9% 2.6% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,104 in Longyearbyen and $1,483 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 56% 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: $106 in Longyearbyen vs $134 in Bergen. Groceries flip the comparison at $586 vs $530, with Bergen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

Same time as Longyearbyen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,400

292,482

💱 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

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Between locations

Longyearbyen Bergen 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Longyearbyen
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

Longyearbyen vs Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Longyearbyen is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Bergen. 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: $1,104 in Longyearbyen versus $1,483 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $200 in Longyearbyen versus $239 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bergen pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

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

Safety-wise, Longyearbyen 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.

Expats usually find Longyearbyen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.