Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Mandal

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandal: $2,725 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
136

Cost of Living Index in Mandal
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Mandal Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Mandal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Mandal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Stavanger versus $2,725 in Mandal.

Stavanger $3,248
Mandal $2,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,717 in Stavanger versus $4,267 in Mandal.

Stavanger $4,717
Mandal $4,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,186 in Stavanger versus $5,809 in Mandal.

Stavanger $6,186
Mandal $5,809

Living in Stavanger is roughly 19% more expensive than in Mandal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 139% above, Mandal 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 NOK 228

$25.01 NOK 231

-1.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 NOK 906

$98.7 NOK 913

-0.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 150

$16.02 NOK 148

1.31%

Cappuccino

$6.22 NOK 57.5

$6.34 NOK 58.6

-1.89%

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

$5.89 NOK 54.5

$5.72 NOK 52.9

2.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 41.88

$4.69 NOK 43.37

-3.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.76 NOK 127

$13.93 NOK 129

-1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.62 NOK 98.3

$10.59 NOK 97.9

0.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.38

$2.24 NOK 20.71

12.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 32.54

$3.50 NOK 32.36

0.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.78

$3.90 NOK 36.05

2.05%

Eggs

$4.75 NOK 43.98

$3.20 NOK 29.59

48.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 NOK 141

$13.80 NOK 128

10.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 162

$17.23 NOK 159

1.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 334

$36.02 NOK 333

0.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.66

$3.69 NOK 34.15

-4.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.43

$2.79 NOK 25.81

2.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.48

$3.51 NOK 32.50

3.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NOK 45.61

$5.06 NOK 46.79

-2.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.62

$2.67 NOK 24.66

-4.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 28.78

$3.20 NOK 29.60

-2.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.80

$1.60 NOK 14.77

81.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.56

$2.31 NOK 21.33

0.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.27 NOK 169

$18.32 NOK 169

-0.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 NOK 175

$18.74 NOK 173

1.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 35.18

$3.26 NOK 30.20

16.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 41.72

$3.00 NOK 27.78

50.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.75 NOK 43.90

$4.18 NOK 38.71

13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 NOK 790

$97.6 NOK 903

-12.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 NOK 58.0

$6.07 NOK 56.2

3.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.65

$1.28 NOK 11.83

40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 979

$106 NOK 977

0.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.80

$2.28 NOK 21.06

7.89%

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

$49.1K NOK 454.3K

$49.7K NOK 460.0K

-1.25%

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

$42.2K NOK 390.5K

$42.6K NOK 394.4K

-0.98%

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

$260 NOK 2,401

$247 NOK 2,284

5.17%

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

$33.92 NOK 314

$34.68 NOK 321

-2.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 NOK 739

$80.0 NOK 740

-0.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 NOK 481

$49.47 NOK 458

5.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 NOK 348

$38.91 NOK 360

-3.26%

Cinema Ticket

$22.16 NOK 205

$22.61 NOK 209

-1.99%

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

$325 NOK 3,010

$333 NOK 3,080

-2.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K NOK 132.6K

$14.6K NOK 134.8K

-1.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,199

$130 NOK 1,203

-0.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 NOK 573

$62.2 NOK 576

-0.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 NOK 1,395

$147 NOK 1,357

2.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 NOK 1,903

$202 NOK 1,868

1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 NOK 16.7K

$1,277 NOK 11.8K

41.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.2K

$937 NOK 8,669

52.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 NOK 26.8K

$2,009 NOK 18.6K

44.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 NOK 19.8K

$1,819 NOK 16.8K

17.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,468 NOK 59.8K

$5,862 NOK 54.2K

10.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,430 NOK 50.2K

$4,360 NOK 40.3K

24.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,086 NOK 47.0K

$4,450 NOK 41.2K

14.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mandal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 44%

Mandal

$937 34.4% 34.4% $492

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$530 16.3%

Mandal

$504 18.5% 5% $26

Eating Out

Stavanger

$452 13.9%

Mandal

$457 16.8% 1% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$373 11.5%

Mandal

$362 13.3% 3.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Mandal

$243 8.9% 1.3% $3.2

Getting Around

Stavanger

$120 3.7%

Mandal

$127 4.7% 5.9% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$96 3%

Mandal

$95 3.5% 1.6% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Stavanger and $1,277 in Mandal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 14% 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: $98 in Stavanger vs $99 in Mandal. Groceries flip the comparison at $530 vs $504, with Mandal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Mandal

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

11,477

💱 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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Between locations

Stavanger Mandal 140 km

From you

Stavanger
Mandal

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 Mandal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandal is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 14% 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 $1,277 in Mandal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $325 in Stavanger versus $333 in Mandal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Stavanger runs roughly 12% less than in Mandal. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

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