Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Sandefjord

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandefjord: $2,549 a month against $3,138 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Sandefjord
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Sandefjord Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,138

/mo nomad

Sandefjord

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Sandefjord

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

A single person spends $3,138 per month in Stavanger vs $2,549 in Sandefjord, rent included.

Stavanger $3,138
Sandefjord $2,549

A couple spends around $4,570 per month in Stavanger vs $3,748 in Sandefjord, rent included.

Stavanger $4,570
Sandefjord $3,748

A family of three spends $6,002 per month in Stavanger vs $4,948 in Sandefjord, rent included.

Stavanger $6,002
Sandefjord $4,948

Stavanger costs about 23% more than Sandefjord, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Stavanger and Sandefjord sit above the global median – Stavanger by 132%, Sandefjord by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.72 NOK 233

$20.53 NOK 193

20.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.7 NOK 901

$125 NOK 1,179

-23.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.96 NOK 150

$15.78 NOK 149

1.14%

Cappuccino

$6.23 NOK 58.6

$5.68 NOK 53.4

9.68%

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

$5.20 NOK 48.94

$4.17 NOK 39.30

24.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 NOK 40.09

$2.15 NOK 20.19

98.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.68 NOK 129

$10.05 NOK 94.6

36.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.94 NOK 112

$10.31 NOK 97.1

15.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 NOK 22.95

$2.12 NOK 19.97

15.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 33.10

$2.57 NOK 24.18

36.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.85 NOK 36.29

$4.14 NOK 38.93

-7.00%

Eggs

$4.72 NOK 44.40

$4.08 NOK 38.44

15.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.37 NOK 135

$14.78 NOK 139

-2.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.68 NOK 157

$15.66 NOK 147

6.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$35.66 NOK 336

$30.89 NOK 291

15.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 32.59

$2.15 NOK 20.27

60.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 NOK 26.19

$2.68 NOK 25.27

3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 NOK 31.79

$2.18 NOK 20.56

55.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 NOK 46.33

$2.85 NOK 26.80

72.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 NOK 23.42

$1.12 NOK 10.50

122.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 NOK 28.05

$2.68 NOK 25.26

11.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 NOK 26.63

$3.09 NOK 29.09

-8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.09

$2.38 NOK 22.36

-1.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.60 NOK 166

$15.81 NOK 149

11.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.73 NOK 176

$13.05 NOK 123

43.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 35.21

$3.53 NOK 33.21

5.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 NOK 41.58

$4.14 NOK 39.00

6.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.64 NOK 43.68

$5.10 NOK 47.96

-9.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 NOK 792

$66.5 NOK 626

26.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.07 NOK 57.1

$11.71 NOK 110

-48.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 16.01

$1.78 NOK 16.76

-4.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$102 NOK 961

$48.90 NOK 460

108.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 NOK 22.85

$2.25 NOK 21.22

8.00%

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

$48.3K NOK 455.1K

$47.4K NOK 446.0K

2.04%

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

$42.0K NOK 395.1K

$41.6K NOK 391.8K

0.83%

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

$249 NOK 2,346

$264 NOK 2,487

-5.65%

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

$34.59 NOK 326

$33.62 NOK 317

2.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.9 NOK 762

$54.0 NOK 508

49.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 NOK 473

$50.5 NOK 475

-0.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.81 NOK 347

$56.9 NOK 535

-35.28%

Cinema Ticket

$21.38 NOK 201

$15.54 NOK 146

37.58%

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

$320 NOK 3,014

$232 NOK 2,186

37.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K NOK 133.9K

$4,887 NOK 46.0K

191.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$126 NOK 1,183

$101 NOK 949

24.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 NOK 553

$44.41 NOK 418

32.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 NOK 1,406

$80.0 NOK 753

86.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 NOK 1,865

$153 NOK 1,443

29.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 NOK 16.0K

$1,213 NOK 11.4K

39.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 NOK 12.8K

$1,015 NOK 9,556

33.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,735 NOK 25.7K

$1,539 NOK 14.5K

77.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 NOK 19.2K

$1,339 NOK 12.6K

52.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,207 NOK 58.4K

$6,273 NOK 59.1K

-1.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,292 NOK 49.8K

$3,696 NOK 34.8K

43.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,011 NOK 47.2K

$3,976 NOK 37.4K

26.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.38

20.32%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sandefjord: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.2%

Sandefjord

$1K 39.8% 25.2% $341

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$517 16.5%

Sandefjord

$447 17.5% 13.7% $71

Eating Out

Stavanger

$450 14.4%

Sandefjord

$376 14.8% 16.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$365 11.6%

Sandefjord

$352 13.8% 3.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$239 7.6%

Sandefjord

$170 6.7% 28.9% $69

Getting Around

Stavanger

$117 3.7%

Sandefjord

$107 4.2% 8.4% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$93 3%

Sandefjord

$82 3.2% 12.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,697 in Stavanger versus $1,213 in Sandefjord. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 26% higher in Stavanger, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Stavanger versus $125 in Sandefjord. Groceries tell a different story – $517 in Stavanger vs $447 in Sandefjord – so Sandefjord wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Sandefjord

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

66,366

💱 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

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Stavanger Sandefjord 260 km

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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 Sandefjord: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stavanger costs about 23% more than Sandefjord, 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 $4,708 per month in Stavanger and $3,823 in Sandefjord. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sandefjord, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Sandefjord. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $320 per month in Stavanger and $232 in Sandefjord. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sandefjord, where all-in costs run around $2,549, than in Stavanger at $3,138. In Sandefjord it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stavanger it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sandefjord costs $2,549 versus $3,138 in Stavanger. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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