Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Sandnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandnes: $2,684 a month against $3,182 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Sandnes
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Sandnes Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,182

/mo nomad

Sandnes

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Sandnes

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

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Stavanger vs $2,684 in Sandnes, rent included.

Stavanger $3,182
Sandnes $2,684

A couple spends around $4,594 per month in Stavanger vs $4,176 in Sandnes, rent included.

Stavanger $4,594
Sandnes $4,176

A family of three spends $6,007 per month in Stavanger vs $5,667 in Sandnes, rent included.

Stavanger $6,007
Sandnes $5,667

Stavanger costs about 19% more than Sandnes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Stavanger and Sandnes sit above the global median – Stavanger by 135%, Sandnes by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.06 NOK 227

$24.80 NOK 233

-2.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.0 NOK 904

$97.5 NOK 918

-1.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.68 NOK 148

$15.49 NOK 146

1.23%

Cappuccino

$6.18 NOK 58.2

$5.71 NOK 53.7

8.23%

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

$5.74 NOK 54.1

$3.41 NOK 32.10

68.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 42.48

$3.07 NOK 28.85

46.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.04 NOK 132

$13.93 NOK 131

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.57 NOK 99.5

$10.58 NOK 99.6

-0.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 NOK 23.72

$2.44 NOK 22.94

3.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 NOK 33.07

$3.37 NOK 31.76

4.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.97 NOK 37.39

$2.53 NOK 23.82

56.92%

Eggs

$4.79 NOK 45.06

$4.80 NOK 45.17

-0.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.72 NOK 139

$13.22 NOK 124

11.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.47 NOK 164

$15.83 NOK 149

10.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.08 NOK 340

$31.80 NOK 299

13.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 NOK 33.12

$3.52 NOK 33.10

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 NOK 26.71

$2.84 NOK 26.77

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 33.98

$3.17 NOK 29.86

13.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 NOK 46.50

$4.92 NOK 46.32

0.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 NOK 24.64

$2.61 NOK 24.57

0.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 NOK 30.06

$2.32 NOK 21.80

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 NOK 25.91

$2.88 NOK 27.14

-4.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 NOK 21.76

$2.37 NOK 22.29

-2.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.56 NOK 165

$16.64 NOK 157

5.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.06 NOK 179

$17.08 NOK 161

11.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 NOK 35.97

$3.20 NOK 30.12

19.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 NOK 43.28

$4.23 NOK 39.83

8.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.70 NOK 44.26

$4.70 NOK 44.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 NOK 834

$85.4 NOK 803

3.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 NOK 59.6

$6.43 NOK 60.6

-1.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NOK 16.19

$1.80 NOK 16.92

-4.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$103 NOK 973

$48.81 NOK 460

111.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 NOK 22.47

$2.23 NOK 21.00

7.17%

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

$49.2K NOK 462.7K

$43.2K NOK 406.7K

13.77%

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

$41.3K NOK 388.4K

$39.0K NOK 366.7K

5.93%

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

$262 NOK 2,466

$266 NOK 2,499

-1.32%

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

$34.42 NOK 324

$34.10 NOK 321

0.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 NOK 749

$79.3 NOK 746

0.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 NOK 512

$45.56 NOK 429

19.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.43 NOK 352

$53.4 NOK 503

-29.89%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 NOK 210

$19.40 NOK 183

15.05%

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

$331 NOK 3,112

$292 NOK 2,748

13.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K NOK 135.5K

$9,662 NOK 91.0K

49.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$129 NOK 1,218

$127 NOK 1,200

1.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.9 NOK 573

$60.8 NOK 572

0.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 NOK 1,383

$122 NOK 1,147

20.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,919

$189 NOK 1,782

7.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 NOK 15.9K

$1,333 NOK 12.6K

26.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 NOK 12.9K

$962 NOK 9,056

42.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,768 NOK 26.1K

$2,000 NOK 18.8K

38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 NOK 18.7K

$1,820 NOK 17.1K

9.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,409 NOK 60.3K

$7,005 NOK 65.9K

-8.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,282 NOK 49.7K

$4,050 NOK 38.1K

30.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,084 NOK 47.9K

$3,781 NOK 35.6K

34.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

5.22

0.38%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sandnes: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 43%

Sandnes

$962 35.8% 29.6% $405

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$528 16.6%

Sandnes

$485 18.1% 8.3% $44

Eating Out

Stavanger

$446 14%

Sandnes

$430 16% 3.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$376 11.8%

Sandnes

$379 14.1% 0.8% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$243 7.7%

Sandnes

$225 8.4% 7.7% $19

Getting Around

Stavanger

$122 3.8%

Sandnes

$120 4.5% 2.2% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$99 3.1%

Sandnes

$84 3.1% 14.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Stavanger versus $1,333 in Sandnes. 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 34% 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 $98.0 in Sandnes. Groceries tell a different story – $528 in Stavanger vs $485 in Sandnes – so Sandnes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Sandnes

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

83,958

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stavanger Sandnes 38 km

From you

Stavanger
Sandnes

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 Sandnes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stavanger is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,773 per month in Stavanger and $4,026 in Sandnes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $331 per month in Stavanger and $292 in Sandnes. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Stavanger, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,182 in Stavanger and $2,684 in Sandnes. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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 Sandnes. 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.