Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philadelphia, PA and Molde

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.

136

Cost of Living Index in Philadelphia, PA
Learn more

Philadelphia, PA Living Index

Jump to prices

Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,823

/mo nomad

Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Philadelphia, PA is roughly 23% more expensive than in Molde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.40 $23.40

$16.79 NOK 155

39.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$99.2 NOK 915

-14.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.73 $12.73

$13.43 NOK 124

-5.21%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$4.01 NOK 36.98

32.67%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$2.96 NOK 27.26

1.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.48 NOK 32.03

-35.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$12.98 NOK 120

-55.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$12.03 NOK 111

-32.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$3.00 NOK 27.62

-51.67%

White Bread (500g)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.41 NOK 40.63

-1.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$4.01 NOK 36.94

75.56%

Eggs

$4.93 $4.93

$5.49 NOK 50.6

-10.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$18.51 NOK 171

-35.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.45 $12.45

$15.95 NOK 147

-21.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 $17.21

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$3.46 NOK 31.93

61.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$3.16 NOK 29.12

-49.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$3.06 NOK 28.20

81.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$4.95 NOK 45.65

12.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.62 NOK 24.17

9.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.31 NOK 21.29

37.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.84 NOK 26.19

-9.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.03 $12.03

$20.15 NOK 186

-40.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$23.18 NOK 214

-34.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$4.27 NOK 39.32

-45.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$7.88 NOK 72.6

-44.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 $2.98

$5.28 NOK 48.62

-43.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 $117

$84.8 NOK 782

37.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$16.27 NOK 150

-82.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.53 $23.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.41 NOK 22.21

-54.36%

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)

$64.9 $64.9

$21.68 NOK 200

199.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$84.8 NOK 782

-20.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 $71.1

$58.8 NOK 542

20.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$88.9 $88.9

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 $15.13

$18.72 NOK 173

-19.18%

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

$2,117 $2,117

$217 NOK 1,998

876.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.8K $41.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$113 NOK 1,044

-55.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.91 $43.91

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$138 NOK 1,271

-25.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$160 NOK 1,476

-11.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 $2,069

$1,276 NOK 11.8K

62.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$1,013 NOK 9,335

25.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,571 $4,571

$1,931 NOK 17.8K

136.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 $2,103

$1,710 NOK 15.8K

23.01%

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)

$4,139 $4,139

$4,375 NOK 40.3K

-5.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

4.8

38.75%

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

Last update for Philadelphia, PA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Molde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Philadelphia, PA

$1.3K 44.9%

Molde

–

Groceries & Markets

Philadelphia, PA

$450 15.9%

Molde

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6%

Molde

–

Eating Out

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6%

Molde

–

Clothing & Footwear

Philadelphia, PA

$152 5.4%

Molde

–

Getting Around

Philadelphia, PA

$139 4.9%

Molde

–

Sport & Entertainment

Philadelphia, PA

$101 3.6%

Molde

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA and $1,276 in Molde. 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: $85 in Philadelphia, PA vs $99 in Molde. Groceries flip the comparison at $450 vs $428, with Molde cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, PA

🇳🇴 Molde

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

6 h ahead of Philadelphia, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,573,916

32,920

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Philadelphia, PA
Molde

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

Philadelphia, PA vs Molde: 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.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Philadelphia, PA. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA versus $1,276 in Molde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,117 in Philadelphia, PA versus $217 in Molde. 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.