Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandal and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandal: $2,725 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Mandal
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Mandal Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Mandal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,725

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,725 in Mandal versus $3,248 in Stavanger.

Mandal $2,725
Stavanger $3,248

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,267 in Mandal versus $4,717 in Stavanger.

Mandal $4,267
Stavanger $4,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,809 in Mandal versus $6,186 in Stavanger.

Mandal $5,809
Stavanger $6,186

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mandal 100% above, Stavanger 139% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.01 NOK 231

$24.67 NOK 228

1.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 NOK 913

$98.0 NOK 906

0.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.02 NOK 148

$16.23 NOK 150

-1.29%

Cappuccino

$6.34 NOK 58.6

$6.22 NOK 57.5

1.93%

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

$5.72 NOK 52.9

$5.89 NOK 54.5

-2.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 NOK 43.37

$4.53 NOK 41.88

3.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.93 NOK 129

$13.76 NOK 127

1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.59 NOK 97.9

$10.62 NOK 98.3

-0.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 NOK 20.71

$2.53 NOK 23.38

-11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 NOK 32.36

$3.52 NOK 32.54

-0.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.90 NOK 36.05

$3.98 NOK 36.78

-2.01%

Eggs

$3.20 NOK 29.59

$4.75 NOK 43.98

-32.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.80 NOK 128

$15.22 NOK 141

-9.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.23 NOK 159

$17.54 NOK 162

-1.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.02 NOK 333

$36.16 NOK 334

-0.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 NOK 34.15

$3.53 NOK 32.66

4.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 NOK 25.81

$2.86 NOK 26.43

-2.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 NOK 32.50

$3.62 NOK 33.48

-3.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 NOK 46.79

$4.93 NOK 45.61

2.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 24.66

$2.55 NOK 23.62

4.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 NOK 29.60

$3.11 NOK 28.78

2.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 NOK 14.77

$2.90 NOK 26.80

-44.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 NOK 21.33

$2.33 NOK 21.56

-0.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.32 NOK 169

$18.27 NOK 169

0.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.74 NOK 173

$18.94 NOK 175

-1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 NOK 30.20

$3.80 NOK 35.18

-14.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 NOK 27.78

$4.51 NOK 41.72

-33.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.18 NOK 38.71

$4.75 NOK 43.90

-12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.6 NOK 903

$85.4 NOK 790

14.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.07 NOK 56.2

$6.27 NOK 58.0

-3.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 NOK 11.83

$1.80 NOK 16.65

-28.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 977

$106 NOK 979

-0.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 NOK 21.06

$2.46 NOK 22.80

-7.32%

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

$49.7K NOK 460.0K

$49.1K NOK 454.3K

1.26%

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

$42.6K NOK 394.4K

$42.2K NOK 390.5K

0.99%

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

$247 NOK 2,284

$260 NOK 2,401

-4.92%

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

$34.68 NOK 321

$33.92 NOK 314

2.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.0 NOK 740

$79.9 NOK 739

0.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.47 NOK 458

$52.0 NOK 481

-4.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.91 NOK 360

$37.64 NOK 348

3.37%

Cinema Ticket

$22.61 NOK 209

$22.16 NOK 205

2.03%

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

$333 NOK 3,080

$325 NOK 3,010

2.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K NOK 134.8K

$14.3K NOK 132.6K

1.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,203

$130 NOK 1,199

0.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 NOK 576

$61.9 NOK 573

0.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 NOK 1,357

$151 NOK 1,395

-2.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$202 NOK 1,868

$206 NOK 1,903

-1.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 NOK 11.8K

$1,805 NOK 16.7K

-29.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 NOK 8,669

$1,429 NOK 13.2K

-34.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,009 NOK 18.6K

$2,895 NOK 26.8K

-30.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 NOK 16.8K

$2,145 NOK 19.8K

-15.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,862 NOK 54.2K

$6,468 NOK 59.8K

-9.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,360 NOK 40.3K

$5,430 NOK 50.2K

-19.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,450 NOK 41.2K

$5,086 NOK 47.0K

-12.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

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

Last update for Mandal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mandal

$937 34.4%

Stavanger

$1.4K 44% 52.5% $492

Groceries & Markets

Mandal

$504 18.5%

Stavanger

$530 16.3% 5.2% $26

Eating Out

Mandal

$457 16.8%

Stavanger

$452 13.9% 0.9% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandal

$362 13.3%

Stavanger

$373 11.5% 3.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Mandal

$243 8.9%

Stavanger

$247 7.6% 1.3% $3.2

Getting Around

Mandal

$127 4.7%

Stavanger

$120 3.7% 5.6% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Mandal

$95 3.5%

Stavanger

$96 3% 1.7% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,277 in Mandal and $1,805 in Stavanger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 14% 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: $99 in Mandal vs $98 in Stavanger. Groceries flip the comparison at $504 vs $530, with Mandal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Mandal

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

Same time as Mandal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,477

149,330

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.81 USD

100 NOK = 9.71 EUR

100 NOK = 10.81 USD

100 NOK = 9.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mandal Stavanger 140 km

From you

Mandal
Stavanger

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

Mandal vs Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandal is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Mandal. 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: $1,277 in Mandal versus $1,805 in Stavanger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $333 in Mandal versus $325 in Stavanger. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Stavanger runs roughly 12% less than in Mandal. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Mandal 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, Mandal and Stavanger are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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