Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Lillehammer

For one person, living is cheaper in Lillehammer: $1,521 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Lillehammer
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Lillehammer Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Lillehammer

🇳🇴 Norway

$1,521

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Lillehammer

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

A single person spends $3,248 per month in Stavanger vs $1,521 in Lillehammer, rent included.

Stavanger $3,248
Lillehammer $1,521

A couple spends around $4,717 per month in Stavanger vs $2,414 in Lillehammer, rent included.

Stavanger $4,717
Lillehammer $2,414

A family of three spends $6,186 per month in Stavanger vs $3,308 in Lillehammer, rent included.

Stavanger $6,186
Lillehammer $3,308

Stavanger costs about 114% more than Lillehammer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Stavanger and Lillehammer sit above the global median – Stavanger by 139%, Lillehammer by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 NOK 228

$17.22 NOK 159

43.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 NOK 906

$86.6 NOK 801

13.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 150

$14.65 NOK 136

10.78%

Cappuccino

$6.22 NOK 57.5

$5.04 NOK 46.64

23.41%

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

$5.89 NOK 54.5

$3.58 NOK 33.14

64.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 41.88

$2.42 NOK 22.35

87.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.76 NOK 127

$10.94 NOK 101

25.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.62 NOK 98.3

$7.37 NOK 68.2

44.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.38

$2.49 NOK 23.02

1.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 32.54

$3.50 NOK 32.34

0.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.78

$3.69 NOK 34.15

7.86%

Eggs

$4.75 NOK 43.98

$4.83 NOK 44.66

-1.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 NOK 141

$13.57 NOK 126

12.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 162

$17.04 NOK 158

2.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 334

$32.03 NOK 296

12.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.66

$4.08 NOK 37.72

-13.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.43

$3.05 NOK 28.18

-6.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.48

$3.94 NOK 36.46

-8.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NOK 45.61

$5.69 NOK 52.7

-13.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.62

$2.99 NOK 27.64

-14.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 28.78

$3.04 NOK 28.08

2.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.80

$3.01 NOK 27.83

-3.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.56

$2.27 NOK 21.02

2.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.27 NOK 169

$17.85 NOK 165

2.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 NOK 175

$19.12 NOK 177

-0.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 35.18

$3.59 NOK 33.25

5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 41.72

$4.79 NOK 44.35

-5.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.75 NOK 43.90

$2.41 NOK 22.34

97.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 NOK 790

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 NOK 58.0

$9.64 NOK 89.2

-34.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.65

$1.64 NOK 15.18

9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 979

$60.9 NOK 563

73.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.80

$2.47 NOK 22.82

-0.40%

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

$49.1K NOK 454.3K

$47.0K NOK 434.4K

4.57%

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

$42.2K NOK 390.5K

$46.9K NOK 433.9K

-10.00%

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

$260 NOK 2,401

$281 NOK 2,602

-7.69%

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

$33.92 NOK 314

$35.85 NOK 332

-5.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 NOK 739

$82.3 NOK 761

-2.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 NOK 481

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 NOK 348

Cinema Ticket

$22.16 NOK 205

$19.23 NOK 178

15.24%

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

$325 NOK 3,010

$303 NOK 2,806

7.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K NOK 132.6K

$4,579 NOK 42.4K

213.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,199

$110 NOK 1,017

17.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 NOK 573

$52.6 NOK 486

17.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 NOK 1,395

$125 NOK 1,154

20.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 NOK 1,903

$159 NOK 1,467

29.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 NOK 16.7K

$1,090 NOK 10.1K

65.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 NOK 26.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 NOK 19.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,468 NOK 59.8K

$3,392 NOK 31.4K

90.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,430 NOK 50.2K

$1,373 NOK 12.7K

295.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,086 NOK 47.0K

$2,148 NOK 19.9K

136.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

5.32

-1.50%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lillehammer: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 44%

Lillehammer

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$530 16.3%

Lillehammer

$519 34.1% 2.2% $12

Eating Out

Stavanger

$452 13.9%

Lillehammer

$336 22.1% 25.8% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$373 11.5%

Lillehammer

$399 26.3% 6.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Lillehammer

$201 13.2% 18.7% $46

Getting Around

Stavanger

$120 3.7%

Lillehammer

$28 * 1.8% 77% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$96 3%

Lillehammer

$38 * 2.5% 60% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,805 in Stavanger versus $1,090 in Lillehammer. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Stavanger are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Stavanger versus $87 in Lillehammer. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $530 vs $519 – making Lillehammer the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Lillehammer

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

28,831

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.81 USD

100 NOK = 9.71 EUR

100 NOK = 10.81 USD

100 NOK = 9.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Stavanger Lillehammer 350 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 Lillehammer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stavanger costs about 114% more than Lillehammer, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,872 per month in Stavanger and $2,281 in Lillehammer. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lillehammer, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,090 there versus $1,805 in Stavanger.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,248 in Stavanger and $1,521 in Lillehammer. That makes Lillehammer about 53% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Stavanger and $87 in Lillehammer. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,248 in Stavanger and $1,521 in Lillehammer. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Lillehammer – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Lillehammer. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stavanger makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.