Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Haugesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Haugesund: $2,775 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Stavanger, Norway
Haugesund, Norway
Stavanger
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,248
/mo nomad
Haugesund
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,775
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Haugesund

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

A single person spends $3,248 per month in Stavanger vs $2,775 in Haugesund, rent included.

  • Stavanger $3,248
  • Haugesund $2,775

A couple spends around $4,717 per month in Stavanger vs $4,105 in Haugesund, rent included.

  • Stavanger $4,717
  • Haugesund $4,105

A family of three spends $6,186 per month in Stavanger vs $5,435 in Haugesund, rent included.

  • Stavanger $6,186
  • Haugesund $5,435

Stavanger costs about 17% more than Haugesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Stavanger and Haugesund sit above the global median – Stavanger by 139%, Haugesund by 104%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Stavanger
Haugesund
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.67 NOK 227
$22.74 NOK 210
8.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$98.0 NOK 903
$107 NOK 989
-8.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.23 NOK 150
$14.79 NOK 136
9.74%
Cappuccino
$6.22 NOK 57.3
$4.70 NOK 43.32
32.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.89 NOK 54.3
$5.17 NOK 47.69
13.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 NOK 41.73
$4.04 NOK 37.26
12.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.76 NOK 127
$11.80 NOK 109
16.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.62 NOK 97.9
$10.87 NOK 100
-2.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Stavanger
Haugesund
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.53 NOK 23.30
$2.34 NOK 21.53
8.12%
White Bread (500g)
$3.52 NOK 32.43
$3.95 NOK 36.37
-10.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.98 NOK 36.65
$3.64 NOK 33.52
9.34%
Eggs
$4.75 NOK 43.82
$4.96 NOK 45.69
-4.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.22 NOK 140
$11.91 NOK 110
27.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.54 NOK 162
$15.27 NOK 141
14.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$36.16 NOK 333
$35.37 NOK 326
2.23%
Apples (1kg)
$3.53 NOK 32.55
$3.12 NOK 28.78
13.14%
Banana (1kg)
$2.86 NOK 26.34
$2.20 NOK 20.28
30.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.62 NOK 33.36
$3.60 NOK 33.22
0.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.93 NOK 45.44
$4.50 NOK 41.46
9.56%
Potato (1kg)
$2.55 NOK 23.54
$2.58 NOK 23.82
-1.16%
Onion (1kg)
$3.11 NOK 28.68
$3.41 NOK 31.47
-8.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.90 NOK 26.70
$2.91 NOK 26.82
-0.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 NOK 21.48
$1.81 NOK 16.65
28.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.27 NOK 168
$18.10 NOK 167
0.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.94 NOK 175
$14.94 NOK 138
26.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.80 NOK 35.05
$3.78 NOK 34.85
0.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.51 NOK 41.57
$4.28 NOK 39.47
5.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Stavanger
Haugesund
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.75 NOK 43.74
$3.79 NOK 34.98
25.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$85.4 NOK 787
$69.1 NOK 637
23.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.27 NOK 57.8
$12.77 NOK 118
-50.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.80 NOK 16.59
$1.82 NOK 16.73
-1.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$106 NOK 975
$56.5 NOK 520
87.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.46 NOK 22.72
$2.45 NOK 22.55
0.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.1K NOK 452.6K
$45.6K NOK 420.1K
7.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.2K NOK 389.1K
$44.5K NOK 410.5K
-5.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stavanger
Haugesund
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$260 NOK 2,393
$293 NOK 2,697
-11.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.92 NOK 313
$34.97 NOK 322
-3.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$79.9 NOK 736
$58.9 NOK 543
35.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Stavanger
Haugesund
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.0 NOK 479
$50.3 NOK 464
3.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$37.64 NOK 347
$38.07 NOK 351
-1.13%
Cinema Ticket
$22.16 NOK 204
$17.27 NOK 159
28.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Stavanger
Haugesund
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$325 NOK 2,999
$244 NOK 2,247
33.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.3K NOK 132.1K
$3,038 NOK 28.0K
371.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Stavanger
Haugesund
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$130 NOK 1,195
$102 NOK 939
27.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.9 NOK 571
$54.4 NOK 501
13.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$151 NOK 1,390
$88.6 NOK 816
70.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$206 NOK 1,896
$157 NOK 1,445
31.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Stavanger
Haugesund
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,805 NOK 16.6K
$1,601 NOK 14.8K
12.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 NOK 13.2K
$1,130 NOK 10.4K
26.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,895 NOK 26.7K
$2,166 NOK 20.0K
33.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,145 NOK 19.8K
$1,727 NOK 15.9K
24.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,468 NOK 59.6K
$6,414 NOK 59.1K
0.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,430 NOK 50.0K
$4,876 NOK 44.9K
11.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Stavanger
Haugesund
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,086 NOK 46.9K
$4,079 NOK 37.6K
24.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.24
5.2
0.77%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Haugesund: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Stavanger
$1.4K
Haugesund
$1.1K 20.9% $299
Groceries & Markets
Stavanger
$530
Haugesund
$486 8.3% $44
Eating Out
Stavanger
$452
Haugesund
$400 11.5% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stavanger
$373
Haugesund
$387 3.5% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Stavanger
$247
Haugesund
$181 26.7% $66
Getting Around
Stavanger
$120
Haugesund
$106 11.3% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Stavanger
$96
Haugesund
$85 11.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,805 in Stavanger versus $1,601 in Haugesund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Stavanger. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Stavanger versus $107 in Haugesund. Groceries tell a different story – $530 in Stavanger vs $486 in Haugesund – so Haugesund wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Stavanger
🇳🇴 Haugesund
🕒 Local time
15:26 3:26 PM
15:26 3:26 PM
Same time as Stavanger
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,330
38,362
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Stavanger Haugesund 56 km
From you
  • Stavanger
  • Haugesund

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 Haugesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Stavanger or Haugesund?
Stavanger costs about 17% more than Haugesund, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Stavanger and in Haugesund?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,872 per month in Stavanger and $4,163 in Haugesund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Stavanger or Haugesund?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Haugesund, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,601 there versus $1,805 in Stavanger.
Are groceries more expensive in Stavanger or in Haugesund?
Groceries cost about 9% more in Stavanger, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Stavanger and in Haugesund?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Stavanger and $107 in Haugesund. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Stavanger or in Haugesund?
$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,248 in Stavanger and $2,775 in Haugesund. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Haugesund – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Stavanger compared to Haugesund?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Stavanger or to Haugesund?
If budget matters most, go with Haugesund. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stavanger makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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