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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.
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
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Norway
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.16NOK 213
$20.46€18.32
13.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$106NOK 976
$79.5€71.2
33.62%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$16.07NOK 148
$11.15€9.99
44.13%
Cappuccino
$5.77NOK 53.0
$2.04€1.83
182.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.15NOK 38.11
$3.10€2.78
33.87%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21NOK 29.46
$1.40€1.25
129.29%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$11.76NOK 108
$5.51€4.94
113.43%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$11.59NOK 106
$5.74€5.14
101.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Norway
Italy
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.43NOK 22.34
$1.57€1.41
54.78%
White Bread(500g)
$3.89NOK 35.74
$2.38€2.13
63.45%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$3.67NOK 33.76
$2.90€2.60
26.55%
Eggs
$5.38NOK 49.45
$4.07€3.65
32.19%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$13.96NOK 128
$17.44€15.62
-19.95%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$16.77NOK 154
$12.56€11.25
33.52%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$32.96NOK 303
$20.17€18.06
63.41%
Apples(1kg)
$3.77NOK 34.61
$2.58€2.31
46.12%
Banana(1kg)
$2.87NOK 26.33
$2.19€1.96
31.05%
Oranges(1kg)
$3.65NOK 33.57
$2.68€2.40
36.19%
Tomato(1kg)
$5.36NOK 49.22
$3.27€2.93
63.91%
Potato(1kg)
$2.74NOK 25.16
$1.90€1.70
44.21%
Onion(1kg)
$3.13NOK 28.73
$1.82€1.63
71.98%
Lettuce(1 head)
$2.94NOK 27.01
$1.57€1.40
87.26%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$2.32NOK 21.33
$0.55€0.49
321.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$18.04NOK 166
$6.69€5.99
169.66%
Wine(Bottle)
$18.09NOK 166
$7.99€7.15
126.41%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$3.62NOK 33.30
$1.77€1.59
104.52%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49NOK 41.24
$2.35€2.11
91.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Norway
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$4.81NOK 44.15
$1.91€1.71
151.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$84.1NOK 772
$43.44€38.90
93.51%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$12.48NOK 115
$5.62€5.03
122.06%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.86NOK 17.12
$1.71€1.54
8.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$72.9NOK 670
$33.64€30.12
116.71%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.30NOK 21.16
$2.03€1.82
13.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.4KNOK 453.9K
$35.3K€31.6K
39.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.9KNOK 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)
$279NOK 2,562
$227€203
23.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.68NOK 365
$11.59€10.38
242.36%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$74.2NOK 681
$30.38€27.21
144.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Norway
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$50.9NOK 468
$51.8€46.37
-1.60%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$37.79NOK 347
$23.70€21.22
59.45%
Cinema Ticket
$18.88NOK 173
$10.60€9.50
78.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Norway
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$297NOK 2,732
$568€508
-47.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$8,106NOK 74.5K
$11.5K€10.3K
-29.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Norway
Italy
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111NOK 1,017
$90.5€81.1
22.26%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.4NOK 528
$38.55€34.53
48.98%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$125NOK 1,150
$103€91.9
21.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$171NOK 1,573
$131€117
30.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Norway
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,491NOK 13.7K
$826€739
80.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,169NOK 10.7K
$646€579
80.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$2,330NOK 21.4K
$1,400€1,254
66.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,851NOK 17.0K
$1,054€944
75.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$7,127NOK 65.5K
$3,662€3,280
94.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$5,279NOK 48.5K
$2,301€2,061
129.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Norway
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$4,273NOK 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.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Norway
$1.2K 40.1%
Italy
$646 35.1% ↓ 44.7%$523
🛒Groceries & Markets
Norway
$519 17.8%
Italy
$348 18.9% ↓ 33%$171
🍽Eating Out
Norway
$414 14.2%
Italy
$279 15.1% ↓ 32.7%$135
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Norway
$393 13.5%
Italy
$269 14.6% ↓ 31.6%$124
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Norway
$209 7.2%
Italy
$163 8.9% ↓ 21.9%$46
🚌Getting Around
Norway
$125 4.3%
Italy
$65 3.5% ↓ 47.8%$60
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Norway
$89 3%
Italy
$73 4% ↓ 17.7%$16
🏠Accommodation & Living
Norway
$1.9K 32%
Italy
$1.1K 27.8% ↓ 43%$797
🛒Groceries & Markets
Norway
$1.2K 20.8%
Italy
$823 21.7% ↓ 31.5%$379
🍽Eating Out
Norway
$1.4K 23.4%
Italy
$964 25.5% ↓ 28.6%$387
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Norway
$432 7.5%
Italy
$280 7.4% ↓ 35.2%$152
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Norway
$465 8%
Italy
$363 9.6% ↓ 21.9%$102
🚌Getting Around
Norway
$260 4.5%
Italy
$134 3.6% ↓ 48.3%$125
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Norway
$215 3.7%
Italy
$170 4.5% ↓ 21.2%$46
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.
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.