Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael, CA and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Stavanger: $3,248 a month against $4,547 in San Rafael, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Rafael, CA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

219

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael, CA
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San Rafael, CA Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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San Rafael, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,547

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Rafael, CA and in Stavanger

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,547 in San Rafael, CA versus $3,248 in Stavanger.

San Rafael, CA $4,547
Stavanger $3,248

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,255 in San Rafael, CA versus $4,717 in Stavanger.

San Rafael, CA $6,255
Stavanger $4,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,963 in San Rafael, CA versus $6,186 in Stavanger.

San Rafael, CA $7,963
Stavanger $6,186

Living in San Rafael, CA is roughly 40% more expensive than in Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Rafael, CA 234% above, Stavanger 139% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.37 $25.37

$24.67 NOK 227

2.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$98.0 NOK 903

24.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.67 $11.67

$16.23 NOK 150

-28.10%

Cappuccino

$4.80 $4.80

$6.22 NOK 57.3

-22.83%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$5.89 NOK 54.3

-49.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$4.53 NOK 41.73

-35.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 $5.64

$13.76 NOK 127

-59.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 $6.97

$10.62 NOK 97.9

-34.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.53 NOK 23.30

-40.71%

White Bread (500g)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.52 NOK 32.43

30.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$3.98 NOK 36.65

143.72%

Eggs

$5.44 $5.44

$4.75 NOK 43.82

14.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.82 $22.82

$15.22 NOK 140

49.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.29 $15.29

$17.54 NOK 162

-12.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.54 $18.54

$36.16 NOK 333

-48.73%

Apples (1kg)

$7.29 $7.29

$3.53 NOK 32.55

106.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.86 NOK 26.34

3.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$3.62 NOK 33.36

83.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.36 $8.36

$4.93 NOK 45.44

69.57%

Potato (1kg)

$5.86 $5.86

$2.55 NOK 23.54

129.80%

Onion (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$3.11 NOK 28.68

81.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.90 NOK 26.70

8.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.33 NOK 21.48

71.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.42 $11.42

$18.27 NOK 168

-37.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.78 $12.78

$18.94 NOK 175

-32.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.80 NOK 35.05

-41.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$4.51 NOK 41.57

-33.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$4.75 NOK 43.74

-56.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.37 $40.37

$85.4 NOK 787

-52.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 $4.01

$6.27 NOK 57.8

-36.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.80 NOK 16.59

143.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.55 $29.55

$106 NOK 975

-72.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.46 NOK 22.72

-43.09%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$49.1K NOK 452.6K

-40.12%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$42.2K NOK 389.1K

-37.74%

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

$251 $251

$260 NOK 2,393

-3.18%

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

$85.1 $85.1

$33.92 NOK 313

150.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$79.9 NOK 736

-22.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$124 $124

$52.0 NOK 479

138.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.91 $29.91

$37.64 NOK 347

-20.54%

Cinema Ticket

$12.93 $12.93

$22.16 NOK 204

-41.65%

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

$2,091 $2,091

$325 NOK 2,999

542.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$14.3K NOK 132.1K

68.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 $60.9

$130 NOK 1,195

-53.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 $42.54

$61.9 NOK 571

-31.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 $96.5

$151 NOK 1,390

-36.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$206 NOK 1,896

-36.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,814 $2,814

$1,805 NOK 16.6K

55.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,838 $2,838

$1,429 NOK 13.2K

98.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,116 $4,116

$2,895 NOK 26.7K

42.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,993 $3,993

$2,145 NOK 19.8K

86.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,383 $8,383

$6,468 NOK 59.6K

29.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,743 $5,743

$5,430 NOK 50.0K

5.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,930 $6,930

$5,086 NOK 46.9K

36.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

5.24

26.34%

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

Last update for San Rafael, CA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Rafael, CA

$2.8K 62.4%

Stavanger

$1.4K 44% 49.7% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael, CA

$577 12.7%

Stavanger

$530 16.3% 8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael, CA

$398 8.8%

Stavanger

$373 11.5% 6.2% $25

Eating Out

San Rafael, CA

$361 7.9%

Stavanger

$452 13.9% 25.2% $91

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael, CA

$150 3.3%

Stavanger

$96 3% 35.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael, CA

$149 3.3%

Stavanger

$247 7.6% 66% $98

Getting Around

San Rafael, CA

$75 1.6%

Stavanger

$120 3.7% 60.5% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,814 in San Rafael, CA and $1,805 in Stavanger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Rafael, CA pays 36% 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: $122 in San Rafael, CA vs $98 in Stavanger for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $577 vs $530 per month, with Stavanger cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Rafael, CA

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

02:47 2:47 AM

9 h ahead of San Rafael, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,704

149,330

💱 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

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Between locations

San Rafael, CA Stavanger 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

San Rafael, CA
Stavanger

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

San Rafael, CA vs Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stavanger wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in San Rafael, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Stavanger the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 36% higher in San Rafael, CA, 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: $2,814 in San Rafael, CA versus $1,805 in Stavanger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $4,547 per month in San Rafael, CA versus $3,248 in Stavanger – Stavanger is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in San Rafael, CA runs roughly 53% less than in Stavanger. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Stavanger is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, San Rafael, CA and Stavanger are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Stavanger wins on affordability, San Rafael, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.