Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Molde

For one person, living is cheaper in Molde: $2,288 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Molde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Stavanger versus $2,288 in Molde.

Stavanger $3,248
Molde $2,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,717 in Stavanger versus $3,546 in Molde.

Stavanger $4,717
Molde $3,546

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,186 in Stavanger versus $4,803 in Molde.

Stavanger $6,186
Molde $4,803

Living in Stavanger is roughly 42% more expensive than in Molde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 139% above, Molde 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 NOK 227

$16.79 NOK 155

46.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 NOK 903

$99.2 NOK 915

-1.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 150

$13.43 NOK 124

20.85%

Cappuccino

$6.22 NOK 57.3

$4.01 NOK 36.98

55.11%

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

$5.89 NOK 54.3

$2.96 NOK 27.26

98.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 41.73

$3.48 NOK 32.03

30.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.76 NOK 127

$12.98 NOK 120

6.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.62 NOK 97.9

$12.03 NOK 111

-11.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.30

$3.00 NOK 27.62

-15.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 32.43

$4.41 NOK 40.63

-20.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.65

$4.01 NOK 36.94

-0.75%

Eggs

$4.75 NOK 43.82

$5.49 NOK 50.6

-13.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 NOK 140

$18.51 NOK 171

-17.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 162

$15.95 NOK 147

9.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 333

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.55

$3.46 NOK 31.93

2.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.34

$3.16 NOK 29.12

-9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.36

$3.06 NOK 28.20

18.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NOK 45.44

$4.95 NOK 45.65

-0.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.54

$2.62 NOK 24.17

-2.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 28.68

$2.31 NOK 21.29

34.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.70

$2.84 NOK 26.19

2.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.48

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.27 NOK 168

$20.15 NOK 186

-9.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 NOK 175

$23.18 NOK 214

-18.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 35.05

$4.27 NOK 39.32

-11.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 41.57

$7.88 NOK 72.6

-42.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.75 NOK 43.74

$5.28 NOK 48.62

-10.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 NOK 787

$84.8 NOK 782

0.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 NOK 57.8

$16.27 NOK 150

-61.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.59

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 975

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.72

$2.41 NOK 22.21

2.07%

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

$49.1K NOK 452.6K

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

$42.2K NOK 389.1K

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

$260 NOK 2,393

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

$33.92 NOK 313

$21.68 NOK 200

56.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 NOK 736

$84.8 NOK 782

-5.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 NOK 479

$58.8 NOK 542

-11.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 NOK 347

Cinema Ticket

$22.16 NOK 204

$18.72 NOK 173

18.38%

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

$325 NOK 2,999

$217 NOK 1,998

50.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K NOK 132.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,195

$113 NOK 1,044

14.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 NOK 571

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 NOK 1,390

$138 NOK 1,271

9.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 NOK 1,896

$160 NOK 1,476

28.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 NOK 16.6K

$1,276 NOK 11.8K

41.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.2K

$1,013 NOK 9,335

41.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 NOK 26.7K

$1,931 NOK 17.8K

49.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 NOK 19.8K

$1,710 NOK 15.8K

25.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,468 NOK 59.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,430 NOK 50.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,086 NOK 46.9K

$4,375 NOK 40.3K

16.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

4.8

9.17%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Molde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 44%

Molde

–

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$530 16.3%

Molde

–

Eating Out

Stavanger

$452 13.9%

Molde

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$373 11.5%

Molde

–

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Molde

–

Getting Around

Stavanger

$120 3.7%

Molde

–

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$96 3%

Molde

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Stavanger and $1,276 in Molde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 16% 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 Molde. Groceries flip the comparison at $530 vs $428, with Molde cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Molde

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

32,920

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 EUR

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Stavanger Molde 430 km

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Stavanger
Molde

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 Molde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Molde is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $1,276 in Molde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Stavanger. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $325 in Stavanger versus $217 in Molde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Molde are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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