Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Karmøy

For one person, living is cheaper in Karmøy: $2,641 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Karmøy
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Karmøy Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Karmøy

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Karmøy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Stavanger versus $2,641 in Karmøy.

Stavanger $3,248
Karmøy $2,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,717 in Stavanger versus $4,032 in Karmøy.

Stavanger $4,717
Karmøy $4,032

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,186 in Stavanger versus $5,423 in Karmøy.

Stavanger $6,186
Karmøy $5,423

Living in Stavanger is roughly 23% more expensive than in Karmøy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 139% above, Karmøy 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 NOK 229

$21.23 NOK 197

16.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 NOK 910

$122 NOK 1,135

-19.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 151

Cappuccino

$6.22 NOK 57.7

$6.16 NOK 57.3

0.97%

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

$5.89 NOK 54.7

$3.80 NOK 35.34

55.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 42.07

$2.91 NOK 27.02

55.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.76 NOK 128

$11.67 NOK 108

17.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.62 NOK 98.7

$11.22 NOK 104

-5.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.48

$2.32 NOK 21.55

9.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 32.69

$3.87 NOK 35.94

-9.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.94

$3.37 NOK 31.29

18.10%

Eggs

$4.75 NOK 44.17

$4.39 NOK 40.75

8.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 NOK 141

$12.31 NOK 114

23.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 163

$15.45 NOK 144

13.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 336

$29.85 NOK 277

21.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.81

$3.29 NOK 30.53

7.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.55

$2.37 NOK 22.03

20.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.62

$3.05 NOK 28.29

18.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NOK 45.80

$4.55 NOK 42.32

8.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.73

$2.51 NOK 23.35

1.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 28.91

$3.00 NOK 27.91

3.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.91

$3.44 NOK 31.92

-15.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.66

$2.49 NOK 23.13

-6.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.27 NOK 170

$20.07 NOK 186

-8.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 NOK 176

$17.00 NOK 158

11.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 35.34

$3.89 NOK 36.11

-2.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 41.90

$4.95 NOK 45.99

-8.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.75 NOK 44.09

$4.66 NOK 43.32

1.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 NOK 794

$84.3 NOK 783

1.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 NOK 58.3

$13.42 NOK 125

-53.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.73

$1.84 NOK 17.09

-2.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 983

$63.7 NOK 592

66.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.90

$2.52 NOK 23.41

-2.38%

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

$49.1K NOK 456.2K

$50.9K NOK 472.5K

-3.45%

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

$42.2K NOK 392.2K

$41.1K NOK 381.6K

2.77%

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

$260 NOK 2,412

$243 NOK 2,259

6.75%

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

$33.92 NOK 315

$30.54 NOK 284

11.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 NOK 742

$46.76 NOK 434

70.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 NOK 483

$49.24 NOK 457

5.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 NOK 350

$41.02 NOK 381

-8.24%

Cinema Ticket

$22.16 NOK 206

$16.70 NOK 155

32.69%

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

$325 NOK 3,023

$259 NOK 2,405

25.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K NOK 133.2K

$12.2K NOK 113.3K

17.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,205

$96.0 NOK 892

35.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 NOK 575

$49.63 NOK 461

24.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 NOK 1,401

$111 NOK 1,031

35.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 NOK 1,911

$154 NOK 1,429

33.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 NOK 16.8K

$1,262 NOK 11.7K

43.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.3K

$1,044 NOK 9,703

36.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 NOK 26.9K

$2,068 NOK 19.2K

39.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 NOK 19.9K

$1,688 NOK 15.7K

27.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,468 NOK 60.1K

$6,242 NOK 58.0K

3.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,430 NOK 50.4K

$4,136 NOK 38.4K

31.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,086 NOK 47.3K

$4,114 NOK 38.2K

23.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

4.94

6.07%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karmøy: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 44%

Karmøy

$1K 39.6% 26.9% $384

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$530 16.3%

Karmøy

$483 18.3% 9% $48

Eating Out

Stavanger

$452 13.9%

Karmøy

$400 15.2% 11.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$373 11.5%

Karmøy

$321 12.1% 14.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Karmøy

$185 7% 25.1% $62

Getting Around

Stavanger

$120 3.7%

Karmøy

$126 4.8% 4.9% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$96 3%

Karmøy

$83 3.1% 14.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Stavanger and $1,262 in Karmøy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Stavanger vs $122 in Karmøy. Groceries flip the comparison at $530 vs $483, with Karmøy cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Karmøy

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

43,404

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stavanger Karmøy 44 km

From you

Stavanger
Karmøy

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 Karmøy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,248 in Stavanger and $2,641 in Karmøy, so Karmøy is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% 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 $1,262 in Karmøy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% 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 $2,641 in Karmøy – Karmøy is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,641 in Karmøy versus $3,248 in Stavanger, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Karmøy but tight or insufficient in Stavanger. The gap between the two cities makes Karmøy 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 Karmøy are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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