Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and San Rafael, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Stavanger: $3,182 a month against $4,926 in San Rafael, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Rafael, CA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index
237

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael, CA
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San Rafael, CA Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,182

/mo nomad

San Rafael, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in San Rafael, CA

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 San Rafael, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Stavanger versus $4,926 in San Rafael, CA.

Stavanger $3,182
San Rafael, CA $4,926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,594 in Stavanger versus $6,406 in San Rafael, CA.

Stavanger $4,594
San Rafael, CA $6,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,007 in Stavanger versus $7,885 in San Rafael, CA.

Stavanger $6,007
San Rafael, CA $7,885

Living in Stavanger costs roughly 35% less than in San Rafael, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 135% above, San Rafael, CA 264% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.06 NOK 227

$25.34 $25.34

-5.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.0 NOK 904

$120 $120

-19.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.68 NOK 148

$11.85 $11.85

32.32%

Cappuccino

$6.18 NOK 58.2

$4.73 $4.73

30.66%

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

$5.74 NOK 54.1

$2.93 $2.93

95.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 42.48

$2.98 $2.98

51.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.04 NOK 132

$5.36 $5.36

161.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.57 NOK 99.5

$7.06 $7.06

49.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 NOK 23.72

$1.48 $1.48

70.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 NOK 33.07

$4.63 $4.63

-24.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.97 NOK 37.39

$9.67 $9.67

-58.95%

Eggs

$4.79 NOK 45.06

$5.50 $5.50

-12.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.72 NOK 139

$23.26 $23.26

-36.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.47 NOK 164

$15.39 $15.39

13.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.08 NOK 340

$18.58 $18.58

94.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 NOK 33.12

$7.42 $7.42

-52.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 NOK 26.71

$2.93 $2.93

-3.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 33.98

$6.54 $6.54

-44.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 NOK 46.50

$8.47 $8.47

-41.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 NOK 24.64

$5.99 $5.99

-56.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 NOK 30.06

$5.40 $5.40

-40.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 NOK 25.91

$3.03 $3.03

-9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 NOK 21.76

$3.82 $3.82

-39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.56 NOK 165

$11.29 $11.29

55.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.06 NOK 179

$13.11 $13.11

45.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 NOK 35.97

$2.15 $2.15

77.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 NOK 43.28

$3.02 $3.02

52.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.70 NOK 44.26

$2.04 $2.04

130.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 NOK 834

$66.2 $66.2

33.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 NOK 59.6

$4.12 $4.12

53.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NOK 16.19

$4.44 $4.44

-61.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$103 NOK 973

$29.45 $29.45

250.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 NOK 22.47

$1.44 $1.44

65.97%

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

$49.2K NOK 462.7K

$29.4K $29.4K

67.11%

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

$41.3K NOK 388.4K

$26.8K $26.8K

54.18%

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

$262 NOK 2,466

$252 $252

4.03%

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

$34.42 NOK 324

$83.9 $83.9

-58.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 NOK 749

$60.0 $60.0

32.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 NOK 512

$124 $124

-56.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.43 NOK 352

$30.41 $30.41

23.08%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 NOK 210

$13.10 $13.10

70.38%

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

$331 NOK 3,112

$2,081 $2,081

-84.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K NOK 135.5K

$25.1K $25.1K

-42.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$129 NOK 1,218

$59.5 $59.5

117.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.9 NOK 573

$42.30 $42.30

43.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 NOK 1,383

$96.5 $96.5

52.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,919

$130 $130

56.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 NOK 15.9K

$3,087 $3,087

-45.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 NOK 12.9K

$3,195 $3,195

-57.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,768 NOK 26.1K

$4,270 $4,270

-35.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 NOK 18.7K

$3,880 $3,880

-48.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,409 NOK 60.3K

$7,518 $7,518

-14.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,282 NOK 49.7K

$5,488 $5,488

-3.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,084 NOK 47.9K

$6,943 $6,943

-26.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

6.62

-20.85%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Rafael, CA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 43%

San Rafael, CA

$3.2K 64.9% 134% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$528 16.6%

San Rafael, CA

$577 11.7% 9.2% $49

Eating Out

Stavanger

$446 14%

San Rafael, CA

$360 7.3% 19.4% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$376 11.8%

San Rafael, CA

$396 8% 5.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$243 7.7%

San Rafael, CA

$148 3% 39.3% $96

Getting Around

Stavanger

$122 3.8%

San Rafael, CA

$101 2% 17.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$99 3.1%

San Rafael, CA

$150 3.1% 51.5% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,691 in Stavanger and $3,087 in San Rafael, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Rafael, CA pays 37% 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 $120 in San Rafael, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $528 vs $577 per month, with Stavanger cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇺🇸 San Rafael, CA

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

11:30 11:30 AM

9 h behind Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

58,704

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Stavanger San Rafael, CA 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Stavanger
San Rafael, CA

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 San Rafael, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stavanger wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in San Rafael, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Stavanger the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in San Rafael, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,691 in Stavanger versus $3,087 in San Rafael, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,182 per month in Stavanger versus $4,926 in San Rafael, CA – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Stavanger runs roughly 34% less than in San Rafael, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Stavanger delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,182 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Stavanger hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Stavanger and San Rafael, CA 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 Stavanger gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in San Rafael, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.