Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newton, MA and Arendal

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,679 a month against $3,476 in Newton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Newton, MA
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Newton, MA Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index

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Newton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,476

/mo nomad

Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Newton, MA and in Arendal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,476 in Newton, MA versus $2,679 in Arendal.

Newton, MA $3,476
Arendal $2,679

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,888 in Newton, MA versus $3,805 in Arendal.

Newton, MA $5,888
Arendal $3,805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,301 in Newton, MA versus $4,931 in Arendal.

Newton, MA $8,301
Arendal $4,931

Living in Newton, MA is roughly 30% more expensive than in Arendal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Newton, MA 157% above, Arendal 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.85 $29.85

$19.51 NOK 184

53.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$65.8 NOK 619

80.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 $11.82

$15.52 NOK 146

-23.84%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$5.33 NOK 50.2

15.57%

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

$3.13 $3.13

$3.49 NOK 32.84

-10.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$3.25 NOK 30.62

-29.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$11.55 NOK 109

-31.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$12.08 NOK 114

-32.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.31 NOK 21.78

-49.78%

White Bread (500g)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.47 NOK 32.63

37.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.24 $7.24

$3.78 NOK 35.56

91.53%

Eggs

$4.44 $4.44

$4.93 NOK 46.38

-9.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.35 $19.35

$14.81 NOK 139

30.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.96 $10.96

$14.35 NOK 135

-23.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$33.30 NOK 314

-51.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.49 NOK 32.83

46.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.63 NOK 24.75

-38.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$3.48 NOK 32.74

55.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$4.74 NOK 44.63

46.20%

Potato (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.55 NOK 23.97

75.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.10 NOK 29.18

25.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.82 NOK 26.55

5.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.24 NOK 21.13

16.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.51 $12.51

$17.67 NOK 166

-29.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.96 $15.96

$14.46 NOK 136

10.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$3.74 NOK 35.19

-49.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$4.38 NOK 41.27

-42.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.69 NOK 34.72

-36.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 $89.1

$90.2 NOK 849

-1.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$6.11 NOK 57.5

-67.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.70 NOK 16.03

-10.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 $11.15

$105 NOK 986

-89.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.26 NOK 21.31

-53.98%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

-25.30%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

-38.00%

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

$247 $247

$252 NOK 2,372

-2.11%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$34.68 NOK 326

56.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.4 $77.4

$79.7 NOK 751

-2.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.3 $66.3

$36.61 NOK 345

81.10%

Cinema Ticket

$16.13 $16.13

$15.38 NOK 145

4.88%

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

$2,850 $2,850

$314 NOK 2,952

808.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.4K $36.4K

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

163.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.9 $76.9

$125 NOK 1,176

-38.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$43.59 NOK 410

15.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$124 NOK 1,165

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$204 NOK 1,922

-34.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 $1,841

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

66.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 $1,827

$1,039 NOK 9,783

75.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,208 $5,208

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

234.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,541 $4,541

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

212.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,991 $5,991

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

45.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,460 $5,460

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

74.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,869 $7,869

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

89.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

4.68

42.31%

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

Last update for Newton, MA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Arendal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newton, MA

$1.8K 52.6%

Arendal

$1K 38.8% 43.1% $788

Groceries & Markets

Newton, MA

$470 13.5%

Arendal

$488 18.2% 3.8% $18

Eating Out

Newton, MA

$426 12.3%

Arendal

$375 14% 11.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newton, MA

$378 10.9%

Arendal

$366 13.7% 3.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Newton, MA

$168 4.9%

Arendal

$223 8.3% 32.7% $55

Getting Around

Newton, MA

$108 3.1%

Arendal

$120 4.5% 10.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Newton, MA

$99 2.8%

Arendal

$67 2.5% 31.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,841 in Newton, MA and $1,109 in Arendal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newton, MA pays 90% 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: $118 in Newton, MA vs $66.0 in Arendal. Groceries flip the comparison at $470 vs $488, with Newton, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newton, MA

🇳🇴 Arendal

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

13:29 1:29 PM

6 h ahead of Newton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,146

46,406

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Newton, MA Arendal 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Newton, MA
Arendal

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

Newton, MA vs Arendal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Newton, MA and Arendal differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($3,476 vs $2,679 including rent). Arendal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 90% higher in Newton, MA, 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: $1,841 in Newton, MA versus $1,109 in Arendal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,850 in Newton, MA versus $314 in Arendal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Newton, MA pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,679 in Arendal versus $3,476 in Newton, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Arendal but tight or insufficient in Newton, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Arendal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Newton, MA and Arendal 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 Arendal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Newton, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.