Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Sandvika

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandvika: $2,692 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Sandvika
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Sandvika Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Sandvika

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Sandvika

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Stavanger versus $2,692 in Sandvika.

Stavanger $3,248
Sandvika $2,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,717 in Stavanger versus $4,138 in Sandvika.

Stavanger $4,717
Sandvika $4,138

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,186 in Stavanger versus $5,584 in Sandvika.

Stavanger $6,186
Sandvika $5,584

Living in Stavanger is roughly 21% more expensive than in Sandvika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 139% above, Sandvika 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 NOK 228

$17.04 NOK 158

44.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 NOK 906

$99.0 NOK 915

-1.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 150

$21.69 NOK 201

-25.17%

Cappuccino

$6.22 NOK 57.5

$4.21 NOK 38.94

47.74%

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

$5.89 NOK 54.5

$2.95 NOK 27.33

99.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 41.88

$2.40 NOK 22.16

88.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.76 NOK 127

$8.41 NOK 77.8

63.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.62 NOK 98.3

$10.90 NOK 101

-2.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.38

$2.46 NOK 22.75

2.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 32.54

$3.63 NOK 33.61

-3.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.78

$4.02 NOK 37.14

-1.00%

Eggs

$4.75 NOK 43.98

$4.93 NOK 45.58

-3.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 NOK 141

$13.47 NOK 125

12.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 162

$27.98 NOK 259

-37.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 334

$25.31 NOK 234

42.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.66

$3.41 NOK 31.56

3.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.43

$2.65 NOK 24.51

7.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.48

$3.66 NOK 33.89

-1.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NOK 45.61

$4.84 NOK 44.81

1.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.62

$2.62 NOK 24.23

-2.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 28.78

$3.31 NOK 30.63

-6.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.80

$2.47 NOK 22.87

17.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.56

$1.63 NOK 15.08

42.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.27 NOK 169

$15.95 NOK 148

14.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 NOK 175

$19.24 NOK 178

-1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 35.18

$3.85 NOK 35.59

-1.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 41.72

$5.51 NOK 51.0

-18.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.75 NOK 43.90

$4.13 NOK 38.25

15.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 NOK 790

$87.6 NOK 810

-2.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 NOK 58.0

$8.53 NOK 78.9

-26.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.65

$1.63 NOK 15.12

10.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 979

$55.3 NOK 511

91.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.80

$2.44 NOK 22.55

0.82%

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

$49.1K NOK 454.3K

$44.7K NOK 413.9K

9.74%

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

$42.2K NOK 390.5K

$45.0K NOK 416.1K

-6.15%

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

$260 NOK 2,401

$273 NOK 2,526

-4.93%

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

$33.92 NOK 314

$31.94 NOK 295

6.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 NOK 739

$68.3 NOK 632

17.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 NOK 481

$66.3 NOK 613

-21.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 NOK 348

$37.40 NOK 346

0.64%

Cinema Ticket

$22.16 NOK 205

$21.25 NOK 197

4.28%

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

$325 NOK 3,010

$307 NOK 2,842

5.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K NOK 132.6K

$13.1K NOK 121.0K

9.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,199

$148 NOK 1,366

-12.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 NOK 573

$64.8 NOK 599

-4.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 NOK 1,395

$134 NOK 1,237

12.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 NOK 1,903

$211 NOK 1,948

-2.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 NOK 16.7K

$1,244 NOK 11.5K

45.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.2K

$964 NOK 8,918

48.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 NOK 26.8K

$2,119 NOK 19.6K

36.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 NOK 19.8K

$1,722 NOK 15.9K

24.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,468 NOK 59.8K

$8,508 NOK 78.7K

-23.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,430 NOK 50.2K

$4,631 NOK 42.8K

17.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,086 NOK 47.0K

$5,470 NOK 50.6K

-7.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

5.03

4.17%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sandvika: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 44%

Sandvika

$964 35.8% 32.5% $465

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$530 16.3%

Sandvika

$537 20% 1.3% $7

Eating Out

Stavanger

$452 13.9%

Sandvika

$337 12.5% 25.5% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$373 11.5%

Sandvika

$373 13.9% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Sandvika

$251 9.3% 1.6% $3.9

Getting Around

Stavanger

$120 3.7%

Sandvika

$121 4.5% 1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$96 3%

Sandvika

$109 4% 13% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Stavanger and $1,244 in Sandvika. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandvika pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $98 in Stavanger vs $99 in Sandvika for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $537 per month, with Stavanger cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Sandvika

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

129,572

💱 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 Sandvika 290 km

From you

Stavanger
Sandvika

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 Sandvika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,248 in Stavanger and $2,692 in Sandvika, so Sandvika is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Stavanger. 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: $1,805 in Stavanger versus $1,244 in Sandvika. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $325 in Stavanger versus $307 in Sandvika. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $3,248 per month in Stavanger versus $2,692 in Sandvika – Sandvika is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,692 in Sandvika versus $3,248 in Stavanger, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sandvika but tight or insufficient in Stavanger. The gap between the two cities makes Sandvika the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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