Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Molde and Philadelphia, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Molde: $2,288 a month against $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA Living Index

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Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,288

/mo nomad

Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Molde and in Philadelphia, PA

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 Philadelphia, PA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,288 in Molde versus $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA.

Molde $2,288
Philadelphia, PA $2,823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,546 in Molde versus $4,218 in Philadelphia, PA.

Molde $3,546
Philadelphia, PA $4,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,803 in Molde versus $5,612 in Philadelphia, PA.

Molde $4,803
Philadelphia, PA $5,612

Living in Molde costs roughly 19% less than in Philadelphia, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Molde 68% above, Philadelphia, PA 107% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 NOK 154

$23.40 $23.40

-28.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.2 NOK 912

$85.0 $85.0

16.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 NOK 123

$12.73 $12.73

5.50%

Cappuccino

$4.01 NOK 36.86

$5.32 $5.32

-24.62%

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

$2.96 NOK 27.17

$3.00 $3.00

-1.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 31.93

$2.23 $2.23

56.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.98 NOK 119

$5.83 $5.83

122.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.03 NOK 111

$8.14 $8.14

47.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.00 NOK 27.53

$1.45 $1.45

106.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 NOK 40.50

$4.34 $4.34

1.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 36.82

$7.04 $7.04

-43.04%

Eggs

$5.49 NOK 50.4

$4.93 $4.93

11.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.51 NOK 170

$11.93 $11.93

55.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.95 NOK 147

$12.45 $12.45

28.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 $17.21

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 31.83

$5.59 $5.59

-38.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 NOK 29.02

$1.60 $1.60

97.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NOK 28.11

$5.56 $5.56

-44.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 NOK 45.50

$5.57 $5.57

-11.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 NOK 24.09

$2.88 $2.88

-9.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 NOK 21.22

$3.18 $3.18

-27.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 NOK 26.11

$2.57 $2.57

10.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.15 NOK 185

$12.03 $12.03

67.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.18 NOK 213

$15.25 $15.25

52.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 NOK 39.19

$2.33 $2.33

83.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 NOK 72.4

$4.37 $4.37

80.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.28 NOK 48.46

$2.98 $2.98

77.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 NOK 779

$117 $117

-27.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.27 NOK 150

$2.83 $2.83

474.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.53 $23.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.14

$1.10 $1.10

119.09%

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

$31.8K $31.8K

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

$26.1K $26.1K

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

$224 $224

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

$21.68 NOK 199

$64.9 $64.9

-66.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.8 NOK 779

$67.5 $67.5

25.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 NOK 541

$71.1 $71.1

-17.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$88.9 $88.9

Cinema Ticket

$18.72 NOK 172

$15.13 $15.13

23.73%

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

$217 NOK 1,992

$2,117 $2,117

-89.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.8K $41.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 NOK 1,040

$50.2 $50.2

125.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.91 $43.91

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 NOK 1,267

$103 $103

34.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,471

$142 $142

13.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 NOK 11.7K

$2,069 $2,069

-38.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NOK 9,305

$1,269 $1,269

-20.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 NOK 17.7K

$4,571 $4,571

-57.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 NOK 15.7K

$2,103 $2,103

-18.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,141 $4,141

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,890 $1,890

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,375 NOK 40.2K

$4,139 $4,139

5.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

6.66

-27.93%

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

Last update for Molde: October 26, 2026

Last update for Philadelphia, PA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Molde

–

Philadelphia, PA

$1.3K 44.9%

Groceries & Markets

Molde

–

Philadelphia, PA

$450 15.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Molde

–

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6%

Eating Out

Molde

–

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Molde

–

Philadelphia, PA

$152 5.4%

Getting Around

Molde

–

Philadelphia, PA

$139 4.9%

Sport & Entertainment

Molde

–

Philadelphia, PA

$101 3.6%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,276 in Molde and $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Molde pays 6% 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 $85 in Philadelphia, PA. Groceries flip the comparison at $428 vs $450, with Molde cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Molde

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, PA

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

6 h behind Molde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,920

1,573,916

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.25 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

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Between locations

Molde Philadelphia, PA 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Molde
Philadelphia, PA

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 Philadelphia, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Molde is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% 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 $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Molde versus $2,117 in Philadelphia, PA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Philadelphia, PA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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