Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerville, MA and Trondheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Trondheim: $2,827 a month against $4,288 in Somerville, MA, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Somerville, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

210

Cost of Living Index in Somerville, MA
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Somerville, MA Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
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Trondheim Living Index

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Somerville, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,288

/mo nomad

Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,827

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Somerville, MA and in Trondheim

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,288 in Somerville, MA versus $2,827 in Trondheim.

Somerville, MA $4,288
Trondheim $2,827

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,211 in Somerville, MA versus $4,156 in Trondheim.

Somerville, MA $6,211
Trondheim $4,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,134 in Somerville, MA versus $5,485 in Trondheim.

Somerville, MA $8,134
Trondheim $5,485

Living in Somerville, MA is roughly 52% more expensive than in Trondheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Somerville, MA 218% above, Trondheim 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.95 $24.95

$20.78 NOK 196

20.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.3 $95.3

$104 NOK 982

-8.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.25 $13.25

$15.59 NOK 147

-15.01%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$5.39 NOK 50.7

0.93%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$5.67 NOK 53.4

-48.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$4.30 NOK 40.47

-47.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.12 $8.12

$13.06 NOK 123

-37.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.09 $9.09

$12.63 NOK 119

-28.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.42 NOK 22.80

-55.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.31 NOK 31.20

17.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$3.74 NOK 35.21

41.98%

Eggs

$4.92 $4.92

$4.75 NOK 44.75

3.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 $15.91

$12.99 NOK 122

22.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.04 $14.04

$16.19 NOK 152

-13.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.85 $17.85

$31.12 NOK 293

-42.64%

Apples (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$3.94 NOK 37.08

69.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.80 NOK 26.39

-25.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$3.75 NOK 35.35

47.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$5.45 NOK 51.3

19.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.89 NOK 27.16

-23.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.97 NOK 27.96

-27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.94 NOK 27.63

1.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.29 NOK 21.53

30.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.39 $13.39

$17.27 NOK 163

-22.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.79 $15.79

$18.04 NOK 170

-12.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$3.44 NOK 32.42

-39.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$4.45 NOK 41.85

-7.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 $2.23

$4.66 NOK 43.84

-52.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.8 $88.8

$99.3 NOK 935

-10.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 $2.62

$9.40 NOK 88.5

-72.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.61 NOK 15.20

10.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.09 $28.09

$60.2 NOK 567

-53.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.40 NOK 22.63

-55.00%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$44.9K NOK 422.5K

-17.78%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$45.6K NOK 428.8K

-43.10%

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

$246 $246

$266 NOK 2,507

-7.66%

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

$75.9 $75.9

$35.59 NOK 335

113.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$82.3 NOK 775

-9.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 $103

$41.67 NOK 392

148.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.68 NOK 374

Cinema Ticket

$15.65 $15.65

$20.51 NOK 193

-23.70%

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

$1,848 $1,848

$298 NOK 2,806

520.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

$4,363 NOK 41.1K

600.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.48 $48.48

$104 NOK 983

-53.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.45 $38.45

$49.65 NOK 467

-22.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$122 NOK 1,144

-17.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 $158

$157 NOK 1,478

0.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,965 $2,965

$1,442 NOK 13.6K

105.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,637 $2,637

$1,123 NOK 10.6K

134.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,530 $4,530

$2,193 NOK 20.6K

106.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,491 $4,491

$1,675 NOK 15.8K

168.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,454 $7,454

$6,306 NOK 59.4K

18.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,679 $5,679

$5,032 NOK 47.4K

12.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,408 $5,408

$4,145 NOK 39.0K

30.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.32

24.81%

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

Last update for Somerville, MA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Trondheim: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Somerville, MA

$2.6K 61.5%

Trondheim

$1.1K 39.7% 57.4% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Somerville, MA

$472 11%

Trondheim

$499 17.7% 5.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerville, MA

$396 9.2%

Trondheim

$384 13.6% 3% $12

Eating Out

Somerville, MA

$384 9%

Trondheim

$408 14.4% 6.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Somerville, MA

$155 3.6%

Trondheim

$195 6.9% 25.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Somerville, MA

$135 3.1%

Trondheim

$83 2.9% 38.6% $52

Getting Around

Somerville, MA

$109 2.6%

Trondheim

$135 4.8% 23.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,965 in Somerville, MA and $1,442 in Trondheim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Somerville, MA pays 30% 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: $95.0 in Somerville, MA vs $104 in Trondheim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $472 vs $499 per month, with Somerville, MA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Somerville, MA

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

13:12 1:12 PM

6 h ahead of Somerville, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,754

215,121

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 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 October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

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Somerville, MA Trondheim 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerville, MA
Trondheim

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

Somerville, MA vs Trondheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Somerville, MA and Trondheim differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($4,288 vs $2,827 including rent). Trondheim is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Somerville, MA, 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: $2,965 in Somerville, MA versus $1,442 in Trondheim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,848 in Somerville, MA versus $298 in Trondheim. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Somerville, MA pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Trondheim 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, Somerville, MA and Trondheim are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Trondheim gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Somerville, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.