Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bergen: $3,093 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Bergen

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 Bergen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Stavanger versus $3,093 in Bergen.

Stavanger $3,248
Bergen $3,093

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,717 in Stavanger versus $4,619 in Bergen.

Stavanger $4,717
Bergen $4,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,186 in Stavanger versus $6,145 in Bergen.

Stavanger $6,186
Bergen $6,145

Living in Stavanger is roughly 5% more expensive than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 139% above, Bergen 127% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 NOK 227

$23.85 NOK 219

3.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 NOK 900

$141 NOK 1,298

-30.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 149

$16.30 NOK 150

-0.43%

Cappuccino

$6.22 NOK 57.1

$5.62 NOK 51.6

10.68%

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

$5.89 NOK 54.1

$5.19 NOK 47.69

13.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 41.60

$4.57 NOK 42.00

-0.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.76 NOK 126

$12.92 NOK 119

6.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.62 NOK 97.6

$10.71 NOK 98.4

-0.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.22

$2.35 NOK 21.55

7.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 32.32

$3.83 NOK 35.21

-8.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.53

$3.45 NOK 31.66

15.36%

Eggs

$4.75 NOK 43.68

$6.67 NOK 61.3

-28.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 NOK 140

$14.89 NOK 137

2.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 161

$17.88 NOK 164

-1.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 332

$37.65 NOK 346

-3.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.44

$4.10 NOK 37.68

-13.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.25

$2.80 NOK 25.74

2.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.25

$3.70 NOK 34.00

-2.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NOK 45.29

$5.54 NOK 50.9

-11.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.46

$2.46 NOK 22.64

3.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 28.58

$3.41 NOK 31.32

-8.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.61

$3.08 NOK 28.28

-5.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.41

$1.83 NOK 16.83

27.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.27 NOK 168

$17.65 NOK 162

3.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 NOK 174

$19.73 NOK 181

-4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 34.94

$3.83 NOK 35.17

-0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 41.44

$4.44 NOK 40.78

1.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.75 NOK 43.60

$5.32 NOK 48.92

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 NOK 785

$89.0 NOK 817

-4.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 NOK 57.6

$12.82 NOK 118

-51.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.54

$1.95 NOK 17.94

-7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 972

$74.9 NOK 688

41.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.64

$2.41 NOK 22.11

2.07%

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

$49.1K NOK 451.1K

$50.1K NOK 460.0K

-1.92%

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

$42.2K NOK 387.8K

$44.8K NOK 411.3K

-5.70%

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

$260 NOK 2,385

$292 NOK 2,679

-10.97%

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

$33.92 NOK 312

$33.90 NOK 311

0.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 NOK 734

$85.1 NOK 782

-6.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 NOK 477

$48.43 NOK 445

7.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 NOK 346

$44.06 NOK 405

-14.57%

Cinema Ticket

$22.16 NOK 204

$19.28 NOK 177

14.94%

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

$325 NOK 2,990

$251 NOK 2,305

29.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K NOK 131.7K

$12.0K NOK 110.0K

19.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,191

$108 NOK 989

20.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 NOK 569

$56.1 NOK 515

10.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 NOK 1,386

$120 NOK 1,103

25.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 NOK 1,890

$166 NOK 1,524

24.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 NOK 16.6K

$1,627 NOK 15.0K

10.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.1K

$1,283 NOK 11.8K

11.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 NOK 26.6K

$2,668 NOK 24.5K

8.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 NOK 19.7K

$1,928 NOK 17.7K

11.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,468 NOK 59.4K

$8,228 NOK 75.6K

-21.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,430 NOK 49.9K

$5,382 NOK 49.4K

0.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,086 NOK 46.7K

$4,732 NOK 43.5K

7.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

5.27

-0.57%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 44%

Bergen

$1.3K 41.5% 10.2% $145

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$530 16.3%

Bergen

$545 17.6% 2.8% $15

Eating Out

Stavanger

$452 13.9%

Bergen

$432 14% 4.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$373 11.5%

Bergen

$411 13.3% 9.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Bergen

$202 6.5% 18% $44

Getting Around

Stavanger

$120 3.7%

Bergen

$133 4.3% 11% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$96 3%

Bergen

$87 2.8% 9.6% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Stavanger and $1,627 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 7% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Stavanger vs $141 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $545 per month, with Stavanger cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

292,482

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Stavanger Bergen 160 km

From you

Stavanger
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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 Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bergen is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% 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: $1,805 in Stavanger versus $1,627 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $325 in Stavanger versus $251 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Stavanger pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

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

Safety-wise, Stavanger and Bergen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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