Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Kristiansand

For one person, living is cheaper in Kristiansand: $2,685 a month against $3,182 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Kristiansand
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Kristiansand Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,182

/mo nomad

Kristiansand

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Kristiansand

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Stavanger versus $2,685 in Kristiansand.

Stavanger $3,182
Kristiansand $2,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,594 in Stavanger versus $4,020 in Kristiansand.

Stavanger $4,594
Kristiansand $4,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,007 in Stavanger versus $5,355 in Kristiansand.

Stavanger $6,007
Kristiansand $5,355

Living in Stavanger is roughly 18% more expensive than in Kristiansand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 135% above, Kristiansand 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.06 NOK 227

$28.76 NOK 271

-16.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.0 NOK 904

$84.8 NOK 798

13.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.68 NOK 148

$16.39 NOK 154

-4.33%

Cappuccino

$6.18 NOK 58.2

$4.84 NOK 45.59

27.69%

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

$5.74 NOK 54.1

$3.31 NOK 31.18

73.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 42.48

$2.34 NOK 22.02

92.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.04 NOK 132

$12.69 NOK 119

10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.57 NOK 99.5

$9.24 NOK 87.0

14.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 NOK 23.72

$2.32 NOK 21.81

8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 NOK 33.07

$4.19 NOK 39.43

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.97 NOK 37.39

$3.98 NOK 37.46

-0.25%

Eggs

$4.79 NOK 45.06

$5.70 NOK 53.7

-15.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.72 NOK 139

$12.88 NOK 121

14.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.47 NOK 164

$15.49 NOK 146

12.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.08 NOK 340

$43.89 NOK 413

-17.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 NOK 33.12

$4.41 NOK 41.52

-20.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 NOK 26.71

$2.49 NOK 23.45

14.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 33.98

$4.02 NOK 37.80

-10.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 NOK 46.50

$4.65 NOK 43.77

6.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 NOK 24.64

$2.55 NOK 24.00

2.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 NOK 30.06

$2.43 NOK 22.85

31.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 NOK 25.91

$3.13 NOK 29.48

-12.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 NOK 21.76

$2.22 NOK 20.94

4.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.56 NOK 165

$17.30 NOK 163

1.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.06 NOK 179

$15.80 NOK 149

20.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 NOK 35.97

$3.61 NOK 34.01

5.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 NOK 43.28

$3.99 NOK 37.54

15.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.70 NOK 44.26

$3.90 NOK 36.68

20.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 NOK 834

$72.2 NOK 680

22.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 NOK 59.6

$8.08 NOK 76.1

-21.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NOK 16.19

$1.70 NOK 15.96

1.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$103 NOK 973

$56.8 NOK 535

81.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 NOK 22.47

$2.26 NOK 21.23

5.75%

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

$49.2K NOK 462.7K

$49.0K NOK 461.1K

0.36%

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

$41.3K NOK 388.4K

$45.1K NOK 424.5K

-8.50%

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

$262 NOK 2,466

$217 NOK 2,045

20.60%

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

$34.42 NOK 324

$31.89 NOK 300

7.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 NOK 749

$61.0 NOK 574

30.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 NOK 512

$48.67 NOK 458

11.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.43 NOK 352

$36.18 NOK 341

3.45%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 NOK 210

$15.80 NOK 149

41.27%

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

$331 NOK 3,112

$309 NOK 2,908

7.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K NOK 135.5K

$2,680 NOK 25.2K

437.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$129 NOK 1,218

$115 NOK 1,084

12.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.9 NOK 573

$56.4 NOK 531

7.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 NOK 1,383

$118 NOK 1,110

24.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,919

$160 NOK 1,503

27.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 NOK 15.9K

$1,194 NOK 11.2K

41.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 NOK 12.9K

$1,009 NOK 9,499

35.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,768 NOK 26.1K

$1,889 NOK 17.8K

46.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 NOK 18.7K

$1,581 NOK 14.9K

25.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,409 NOK 60.3K

$4,916 NOK 46.3K

30.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,282 NOK 49.7K

$3,561 NOK 33.5K

48.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,084 NOK 47.9K

$4,258 NOK 40.1K

19.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

5.01

4.59%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kristiansand: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 43%

Kristiansand

$1K 37.6% 26.2% $358

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$528 16.6%

Kristiansand

$537 20% 1.7% $9

Eating Out

Stavanger

$446 14%

Kristiansand

$442 16.5% 0.9% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$376 11.8%

Kristiansand

$310 11.6% 17.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$243 7.7%

Kristiansand

$202 7.5% 17% $41

Getting Around

Stavanger

$122 3.8%

Kristiansand

$104 3.9% 14.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$99 3.1%

Kristiansand

$80 3% 18.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,691 in Stavanger and $1,194 in Kristiansand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 19% 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 $85.0 in Kristiansand. Groceries flip the comparison at $528 vs $537, with Stavanger cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Kristiansand

🕒 Local time

13:38 1:38 PM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

117,213

💱 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

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Between locations

Stavanger Kristiansand 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 Kristiansand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kristiansand is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 19% 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: $1,691 in Stavanger versus $1,194 in Kristiansand. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Stavanger pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Kristiansand – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $96.0 in Stavanger. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

For families, Kristiansand 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 Kristiansand 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 Kristiansand gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.