Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Harstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Harstad: $2,611 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Harstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Stavanger versus $2,611 in Harstad.

Stavanger $3,248
Harstad $2,611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,717 in Stavanger versus $3,888 in Harstad.

Stavanger $4,717
Harstad $3,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,186 in Stavanger versus $5,164 in Harstad.

Stavanger $6,186
Harstad $5,164

Living in Stavanger is roughly 24% more expensive than in Harstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 139% above, Harstad 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 NOK 227

$14.27 NOK 131

72.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 NOK 900

$106 NOK 971

-7.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 149

$15.97 NOK 147

1.63%

Cappuccino

$6.22 NOK 57.1

$6.27 NOK 57.6

-0.80%

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

$5.89 NOK 54.1

$3.70 NOK 34.03

59.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 41.60

$3.18 NOK 29.18

42.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.76 NOK 126

$12.77 NOK 117

7.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.62 NOK 97.6

$14.04 NOK 129

-24.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.22

$2.54 NOK 23.33

-0.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 32.32

$3.39 NOK 31.10

3.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.53

$3.14 NOK 28.83

26.75%

Eggs

$4.75 NOK 43.68

$4.42 NOK 40.61

7.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 NOK 140

$11.37 NOK 104

33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 161

$15.31 NOK 141

14.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 332

$41.97 NOK 386

-13.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.44

$4.28 NOK 39.30

-17.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.25

$2.87 NOK 26.38

-0.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.25

$3.87 NOK 35.55

-6.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NOK 45.29

$4.79 NOK 43.97

2.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.46

$2.21 NOK 20.33

15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 28.58

$2.18 NOK 20.03

42.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.61

$3.00 NOK 27.55

-3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.41

$2.34 NOK 21.49

-0.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.27 NOK 168

$16.41 NOK 151

11.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 NOK 174

$15.93 NOK 146

18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 34.94

$3.90 NOK 35.82

-2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 41.44

$4.89 NOK 44.90

-7.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.75 NOK 43.60

$6.17 NOK 56.7

-23.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 NOK 785

$84.1 NOK 772

1.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 NOK 57.6

$15.98 NOK 147

-60.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.54

$1.91 NOK 17.52

-5.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 972

$58.0 NOK 533

82.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.64

$2.34 NOK 21.48

5.13%

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

$49.1K NOK 451.1K

$36.9K NOK 339.4K

32.92%

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

$42.2K NOK 387.8K

$31.6K NOK 290.4K

33.55%

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

$260 NOK 2,385

$173 NOK 1,587

50.28%

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

$33.92 NOK 312

$35.51 NOK 326

-4.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 NOK 734

$79.5 NOK 731

0.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 NOK 477

$49.72 NOK 457

4.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 NOK 346

$36.95 NOK 339

1.87%

Cinema Ticket

$22.16 NOK 204

$17.75 NOK 163

24.85%

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

$325 NOK 2,990

$325 NOK 2,985

0.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K NOK 131.7K

$5,295 NOK 48.6K

170.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,191

$68.8 NOK 632

88.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 NOK 569

$35.70 NOK 328

73.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 NOK 1,386

$121 NOK 1,115

24.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 NOK 1,890

$170 NOK 1,563

20.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 NOK 16.6K

$1,411 NOK 13.0K

27.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.1K

$1,053 NOK 9,673

35.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 NOK 26.6K

$2,352 NOK 21.6K

23.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 NOK 19.7K

$1,537 NOK 14.1K

39.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,468 NOK 59.4K

$6,396 NOK 58.8K

1.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,430 NOK 49.9K

$4,354 NOK 40.0K

24.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,086 NOK 46.7K

$3,511 NOK 32.3K

44.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

4.80%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Harstad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 44%

Harstad

$1.1K 40.3% 26.3% $376

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$530 16.3%

Harstad

$516 19.8% 2.7% $14

Eating Out

Stavanger

$452 13.9%

Harstad

$357 13.7% 21.1% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$373 11.5%

Harstad

$288 11% 22.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Harstad

$178 6.8% 27.8% $68

Getting Around

Stavanger

$120 3.7%

Harstad

$134 5.1% 12.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$96 3%

Harstad

$85 3.3% 11.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Stavanger and $1,411 in Harstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Stavanger vs $106 in Harstad. Groceries flip the comparison at $530 vs $516, with Harstad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Harstad

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

25,119

💱 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 Harstad 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Stavanger
Harstad

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 Harstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harstad is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 45% 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 $1,411 in Harstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Stavanger. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,248 per month in Stavanger versus $2,611 in Harstad – Harstad is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Harstad 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, Stavanger and Harstad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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