Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Tromso

For one person, living is cheaper in Tromso: $3,272 a month against $3,785 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seattle, WA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
158

Cost of Living Index in Tromso
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Tromso Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,785

/mo nomad

Tromso

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,272

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Tromso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,785 in Seattle, WA versus $3,272 in Tromso.

Seattle, WA $3,785
Tromso $3,272

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,688 in Seattle, WA versus $4,928 in Tromso.

Seattle, WA $5,688
Tromso $4,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,592 in Seattle, WA versus $6,584 in Tromso.

Seattle, WA $7,592
Tromso $6,584

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 16% more expensive than in Tromso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 178% above, Tromso 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.30 $25.30

$34.84 NOK 320

-27.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$107 NOK 980

-5.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.76 $14.76

$16.13 NOK 148

-8.49%

Cappuccino

$6.50 $6.50

$6.87 NOK 63.1

-5.39%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$5.02 NOK 46.11

-36.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.80 NOK 34.88

-17.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$12.79 NOK 118

-37.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$13.94 NOK 128

-41.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.61 NOK 23.97

-55.17%

White Bread (500g)

$5.30 $5.30

$3.47 NOK 31.92

52.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$3.95 NOK 36.32

62.03%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$5.42 NOK 49.75

-6.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$11.93 NOK 110

56.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.72 $18.72

$15.18 NOK 139

23.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.88 $22.88

$42.51 NOK 391

-46.18%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 $6.06

$4.23 NOK 38.82

43.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.03 NOK 27.85

-35.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$5.42 NOK 49.81

1.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$6.08 NOK 55.9

7.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.53 NOK 32.42

-1.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$4.89 NOK 44.93

-32.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.97 NOK 27.30

-5.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.14 NOK 19.63

20.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 $12.49

$16.48 NOK 151

-24.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 $14.87

$17.78 NOK 163

-16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.04 NOK 37.14

3.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 $5.80

$4.95 NOK 45.46

17.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$5.07 NOK 46.59

-39.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

$67.8 NOK 623

56.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$16.35 NOK 150

-84.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.16 NOK 19.86

-24.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.12 $30.12

$57.4 NOK 527

-47.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.38 NOK 21.84

-40.76%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$50.0K NOK 459.5K

-26.42%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$44.5K NOK 408.4K

-40.18%

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

$308 $308

$266 NOK 2,440

15.84%

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

$69.2 $69.2

$50.7 NOK 466

36.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.1 $86.1

$85.0 NOK 781

1.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.5 $76.5

$48.89 NOK 449

56.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.50 $35.50

$48.46 NOK 445

-26.74%

Cinema Ticket

$18.02 $18.02

$17.45 NOK 160

3.27%

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

$2,746 $2,746

$324 NOK 2,979

746.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

$7,850 NOK 72.1K

289.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 $79.2

$68.8 NOK 632

15.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 $54.3

$35.13 NOK 323

54.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$153 NOK 1,407

-17.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$166 NOK 1,522

-4.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 $2,508

$1,780 NOK 16.4K

40.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 $1,938

$1,392 NOK 12.8K

39.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,117 $5,117

$3,215 NOK 29.5K

59.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,542 $3,542

$2,341 NOK 21.5K

51.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,374 $7,374

$8,342 NOK 76.6K

-11.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,002 $5,002

$5,634 NOK 51.8K

-11.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,470 $6,470

$4,302 NOK 39.5K

50.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

5.01

37.52%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tromso: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.2%

Tromso

$1.4K 42.6% 28.2% $546

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$547 14.5%

Tromso

$553 16.9% 1% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$463 12.2%

Tromso

$401 12.3% 13.3% $62

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$406 10.7%

Tromso

$537 16.4% 32.1% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Tromso

$190 5.8% 0.8% $1.6

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Tromso

$115 3.5% 10.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$112 3%

Tromso

$84 2.6% 25.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,508 in Seattle, WA and $1,780 in Tromso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Seattle, WA vs $107 in Tromso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $547 vs $553 per month, with Seattle, WA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇳🇴 Tromso

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

00:14 12:14 AM

9 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

78,908

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

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).

NOK to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Tromso 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Tromso

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

Seattle, WA vs Tromso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tromso is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Seattle, WA, 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: $2,508 in Seattle, WA versus $1,780 in Tromso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,746 in Seattle, WA versus $324 in Tromso. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Seattle, WA – a meal for two runs $101 versus $107 in Tromso. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Tromso is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Tromso is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seattle, WA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Tromso wins on affordability, Seattle, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.