Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Molde and Lillestrom

For one person, living is cheaper in Molde: $2,288 a month against $2,741 in Lillestrom, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index

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Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,288

/mo nomad

Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Molde and in Lillestrom

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Molde and in Lillestrom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,288 in Molde versus $2,741 in Lillestrom.

Molde $2,288
Lillestrom $2,741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,546 in Molde versus $4,180 in Lillestrom.

Molde $3,546
Lillestrom $4,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,803 in Molde versus $5,619 in Lillestrom.

Molde $4,803
Lillestrom $5,619

Living in Molde costs roughly 17% less than in Lillestrom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Molde 68% above, Lillestrom 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 NOK 154

$21.75 NOK 200

-22.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.2 NOK 912

$125 NOK 1,147

-20.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 NOK 123

$11.47 NOK 105

17.09%

Cappuccino

$4.01 NOK 36.86

$6.10 NOK 56.1

-34.26%

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

$2.96 NOK 27.17

$4.24 NOK 38.95

-30.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 31.93

$3.23 NOK 29.70

7.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.98 NOK 119

$12.28 NOK 113

5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.03 NOK 111

$10.79 NOK 99.1

11.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.00 NOK 27.53

$2.53 NOK 23.22

18.58%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 NOK 40.50

$3.87 NOK 35.57

13.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 36.82

$4.21 NOK 38.66

-4.75%

Eggs

$5.49 NOK 50.4

$5.97 NOK 54.8

-8.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.51 NOK 170

$13.55 NOK 124

36.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.95 NOK 147

$13.90 NOK 128

14.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.81 NOK 265

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 31.83

$3.54 NOK 32.55

-2.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 NOK 29.02

$2.86 NOK 26.25

10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NOK 28.11

$4.25 NOK 39.09

-28.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 NOK 45.50

$5.49 NOK 50.4

-9.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 NOK 24.09

$2.91 NOK 26.76

-9.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 NOK 21.22

$3.62 NOK 33.28

-36.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 NOK 26.11

$1.85 NOK 16.98

53.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 NOK 22.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.15 NOK 185

$17.85 NOK 164

12.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.18 NOK 213

$16.97 NOK 156

36.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 NOK 39.19

$5.58 NOK 51.3

-23.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 NOK 72.4

$5.87 NOK 54.0

34.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.28 NOK 48.46

$4.82 NOK 44.24

9.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 NOK 779

$85.7 NOK 787

-1.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.27 NOK 150

$10.53 NOK 96.7

54.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NOK 16.32

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.1 NOK 644

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.14

$2.27 NOK 20.82

6.17%

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

$48.9K NOK 449.3K

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

$40.7K NOK 374.3K

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

$276 NOK 2,535

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

$21.68 NOK 199

$39.04 NOK 359

-44.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.8 NOK 779

$50.8 NOK 466

67.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 NOK 541

$50.3 NOK 462

16.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.67 NOK 346

Cinema Ticket

$18.72 NOK 172

$17.42 NOK 160

7.46%

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

$217 NOK 1,992

$325 NOK 2,982

-33.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K NOK 123.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 NOK 1,040

$101 NOK 929

12.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 NOK 531

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 NOK 1,267

$130 NOK 1,193

6.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,471

$159 NOK 1,458

0.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 NOK 11.7K

$1,312 NOK 12.1K

-2.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NOK 9,305

$1,063 NOK 9,768

-4.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 NOK 17.7K

$2,112 NOK 19.4K

-8.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 NOK 15.7K

$1,733 NOK 15.9K

-1.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,073 NOK 55.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,918 NOK 36.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,375 NOK 40.2K

$3,803 NOK 34.9K

15.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

4.94

-2.83%

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

Last update for Molde: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lillestrom: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Molde

–

Lillestrom

$1.1K 38.8%

Groceries & Markets

Molde

–

Lillestrom

$507 18.5%

Eating Out

Molde

–

Lillestrom

$394 14.4%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Molde

–

Lillestrom

$366 13.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Molde

–

Lillestrom

$201 7.4%

Getting Around

Molde

–

Lillestrom

$124 4.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Molde

–

Lillestrom

$85 3.1%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,276 in Molde and $1,312 in Lillestrom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Molde pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $99 in Molde vs $125 in Lillestrom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $428 vs $507 per month, with Molde cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Molde

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

Same time as Molde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,920

94,585

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Molde Lillestrom 380 km

From you

Molde
Lillestrom

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

Molde vs Lillestrom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Molde wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Lillestrom. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Molde the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Molde, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,276 in Molde versus $1,312 in Lillestrom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Lillestrom. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,288 per month in Molde versus $2,741 in Lillestrom – Molde is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

Safety-wise, Molde and Lillestrom are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.