Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Norway and Italy

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,843 a month against $2,917 in Norway, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Norway
Italy
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,917
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,843
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Norway and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,917 in Norway versus $1,843 in Italy.

  • Norway $2,917
  • Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,347 in Norway versus $2,816 in Italy.

  • Norway $4,347
  • Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,776 in Norway versus $3,788 in Italy.

  • Norway $5,776
  • Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Norway: monthly costs span $1,521 to $3,538, compared to $1,038–$2,555 in Italy. City choice carries more weight in Norway.

Living in Norway is roughly 58% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Norway 114% above, Italy 35% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Norway
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.16 NOK 213
$20.46 €18.32
13.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$106 NOK 976
$79.5 €71.2
33.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.07 NOK 148
$11.15 €9.99
44.13%
Cappuccino
$5.77 NOK 53.0
$2.04 €1.83
182.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.15 NOK 38.11
$3.10 €2.78
33.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 NOK 29.46
$1.40 €1.25
129.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.76 NOK 108
$5.51 €4.94
113.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$11.59 NOK 106
$5.74 €5.14
101.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Norway
Italy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.43 NOK 22.34
$1.57 €1.41
54.78%
White Bread (500g)
$3.89 NOK 35.74
$2.38 €2.13
63.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.67 NOK 33.76
$2.90 €2.60
26.55%
Eggs
$5.38 NOK 49.45
$4.07 €3.65
32.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.96 NOK 128
$17.44 €15.62
-19.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.77 NOK 154
$12.56 €11.25
33.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$32.96 NOK 303
$20.17 €18.06
63.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.77 NOK 34.61
$2.58 €2.31
46.12%
Banana (1kg)
$2.87 NOK 26.33
$2.19 €1.96
31.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.65 NOK 33.57
$2.68 €2.40
36.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.36 NOK 49.22
$3.27 €2.93
63.91%
Potato (1kg)
$2.74 NOK 25.16
$1.90 €1.70
44.21%
Onion (1kg)
$3.13 NOK 28.73
$1.82 €1.63
71.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.94 NOK 27.01
$1.57 €1.40
87.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.32 NOK 21.33
$0.55 €0.49
321.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.04 NOK 166
$6.69 €5.99
169.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.09 NOK 166
$7.99 €7.15
126.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.62 NOK 33.30
$1.77 €1.59
104.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 NOK 41.24
$2.35 €2.11
91.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Norway
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.81 NOK 44.15
$1.91 €1.71
151.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$84.1 NOK 772
$43.44 €38.90
93.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.48 NOK 115
$5.62 €5.03
122.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.86 NOK 17.12
$1.71 €1.54
8.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$72.9 NOK 670
$33.64 €30.12
116.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.30 NOK 21.16
$2.03 €1.82
13.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.4K NOK 453.9K
$35.3K €31.6K
39.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.9K NOK 412.3K
$36.7K €32.9K
22.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Norway
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$279 NOK 2,562
$227 €203
23.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.68 NOK 365
$11.59 €10.38
242.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$74.2 NOK 681
$30.38 €27.21
144.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Norway
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 NOK 468
$51.8 €46.37
-1.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$37.79 NOK 347
$23.70 €21.22
59.45%
Cinema Ticket
$18.88 NOK 173
$10.60 €9.50
78.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Norway
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$297 NOK 2,732
$568 €508
-47.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,106 NOK 74.5K
$11.5K €10.3K
-29.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Norway
Italy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 NOK 1,017
$90.5 €81.1
22.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.4 NOK 528
$38.55 €34.53
48.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 NOK 1,150
$103 €91.9
21.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$171 NOK 1,573
$131 €117
30.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Norway
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,491 NOK 13.7K
$826 €739
80.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 NOK 10.7K
$646 €579
80.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,330 NOK 21.4K
$1,400 €1,254
66.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,851 NOK 17.0K
$1,054 €944
75.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,127 NOK 65.5K
$3,662 €3,280
94.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,279 NOK 48.5K
$2,301 €2,061
129.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Norway
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,273 NOK 39.3K
$1,886 €1,689
126.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.99
3.56
40.17%

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

Last update for Norway: October 24, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Norway
$1.2K
Italy
$646 44.7% $523
Groceries & Markets
Norway
$519
Italy
$348 33% $171
Eating Out
Norway
$414
Italy
$279 32.7% $135
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Norway
$393
Italy
$269 31.6% $124
Clothing & Footwear
Norway
$209
Italy
$163 21.9% $46
Getting Around
Norway
$125
Italy
$65 47.8% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Norway
$89
Italy
$73 17.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,278 in Norway, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $2,133 in Oslo vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $4,024 in Norway, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 75% higher in Norway.

Dining out costs 45% more in Norway.

Public transport is 91% more expensive in Norway.

Salaries are about 2.1 times higher in Norway, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Norway.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Norway
🇮🇹 Italy
🕒 Local time
06:49 6:49 AM
06:49 6:49 AM
Same time as Norway
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,594,340
58,850,717
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Norway Italy 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Norway
  • Italy

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
Norway vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Norway?
At $1,843 per month in Italy and $2,917 in Norway, Italy comes out about 37% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in Italy: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,278 in Norway and $729 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget in Italy or in Norway?
In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Norway it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
Should I move to Italy or to Norway?
It depends on what you’re after: Italy wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

Norway vs other spots: cost of living compared

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