Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Arendal

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,679 a month against $3,138 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
Learn more

Stavanger Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
Learn more

Arendal Living Index

Jump to prices

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,138

/mo nomad

Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Arendal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,138 in Stavanger versus $2,679 in Arendal.

Stavanger $3,138
Arendal $2,679

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,570 in Stavanger versus $3,805 in Arendal.

Stavanger $4,570
Arendal $3,805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,002 in Stavanger versus $4,931 in Arendal.

Stavanger $6,002
Arendal $4,931

Living in Stavanger is roughly 17% more expensive than in Arendal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 132% above, Arendal 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.72 NOK 233

$19.51 NOK 184

26.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.7 NOK 901

$65.8 NOK 619

45.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.96 NOK 150

$15.52 NOK 146

2.84%

Cappuccino

$6.23 NOK 58.6

$5.33 NOK 50.2

16.89%

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

$5.20 NOK 48.94

$3.49 NOK 32.84

49.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 NOK 40.09

$3.25 NOK 30.62

31.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.68 NOK 129

$11.55 NOK 109

18.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.94 NOK 112

$12.08 NOK 114

-1.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 NOK 22.95

$2.31 NOK 21.78

5.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 33.10

$3.47 NOK 32.63

1.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.85 NOK 36.29

$3.78 NOK 35.56

1.85%

Eggs

$4.72 NOK 44.40

$4.93 NOK 46.38

-4.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.37 NOK 135

$14.81 NOK 139

-2.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.68 NOK 157

$14.35 NOK 135

16.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$35.66 NOK 336

$33.30 NOK 314

7.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 32.59

$3.49 NOK 32.83

-0.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 NOK 26.19

$2.63 NOK 24.75

5.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 NOK 31.79

$3.48 NOK 32.74

-2.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 NOK 46.33

$4.74 NOK 44.63

3.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 NOK 23.42

$2.55 NOK 23.97

-2.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 NOK 28.05

$3.10 NOK 29.18

-3.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 NOK 26.63

$2.82 NOK 26.55

0.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.09

$2.24 NOK 21.13

4.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.60 NOK 166

$17.67 NOK 166

-0.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.73 NOK 176

$14.46 NOK 136

29.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 35.21

$3.74 NOK 35.19

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 NOK 41.58

$4.38 NOK 41.27

0.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.64 NOK 43.68

$3.69 NOK 34.72

25.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 NOK 792

$90.2 NOK 849

-6.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.07 NOK 57.1

$6.11 NOK 57.5

-0.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 16.01

$1.70 NOK 16.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$102 NOK 961

$105 NOK 986

-2.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 NOK 22.85

$2.26 NOK 21.31

7.52%

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

$48.3K NOK 455.1K

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

0.17%

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

$42.0K NOK 395.1K

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

2.38%

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

$249 NOK 2,346

$252 NOK 2,372

-1.09%

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

$34.59 NOK 326

$34.68 NOK 326

-0.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.9 NOK 762

$79.7 NOK 751

1.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 NOK 473

$36.61 NOK 345

37.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.81 NOK 347

Cinema Ticket

$21.38 NOK 201

$15.38 NOK 145

39.01%

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

$320 NOK 3,014

$314 NOK 2,952

2.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K NOK 133.9K

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

3.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$126 NOK 1,183

$125 NOK 1,176

0.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 NOK 553

$43.59 NOK 410

34.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 NOK 1,406

$124 NOK 1,165

20.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 NOK 1,865

$204 NOK 1,922

-2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 NOK 16.0K

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

53.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 NOK 12.8K

$1,039 NOK 9,783

30.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,735 NOK 25.7K

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

75.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 NOK 19.2K

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

40.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,207 NOK 58.4K

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

50.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,292 NOK 49.8K

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

68.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,011 NOK 47.2K

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

20.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.68

12.61%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arendal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.2%

Arendal

$1K 38.8% 23.4% $317

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$517 16.5%

Arendal

$488 18.2% 5.7% $29

Eating Out

Stavanger

$450 14.4%

Arendal

$375 14% 16.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$365 11.6%

Arendal

$366 13.7% 0.5% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$239 7.6%

Arendal

$223 8.3% 6.7% $16

Getting Around

Stavanger

$117 3.7%

Arendal

$120 4.5% 2% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$93 3%

Arendal

$67 2.5% 27.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Stavanger and $1,109 in Arendal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 21% 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: $96.0 in Stavanger vs $66.0 in Arendal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $517 vs $488 per month, with Arendal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Arendal

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

46,406

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stavanger Arendal 180 km

From you

Stavanger
Arendal

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

Stavanger vs Arendal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stavanger and Arendal differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($3,138 vs $2,679 including rent). Arendal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Stavanger, 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: $1,697 in Stavanger versus $1,109 in Arendal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $320 in Stavanger versus $314 in Arendal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Stavanger. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,679 in Arendal versus $3,138 in Stavanger, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Arendal but tight or insufficient in Stavanger. The gap between the two cities makes Arendal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Stavanger and Arendal 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 Arendal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.