Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Sarpsborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarpsborg: $2,872 a month against $3,259 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
Learn more

Stavanger Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
Learn more

Sarpsborg Living Index

Jump to prices

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,259

/mo nomad

Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Sarpsborg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,259 in Stavanger versus $2,872 in Sarpsborg.

Stavanger $3,259
Sarpsborg $2,872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,736 in Stavanger versus $4,169 in Sarpsborg.

Stavanger $4,736
Sarpsborg $4,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,213 in Stavanger versus $5,466 in Sarpsborg.

Stavanger $6,213
Sarpsborg $5,466

Living in Stavanger is roughly 13% more expensive than in Sarpsborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 141% above, Sarpsborg 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.14 NOK 224

$40.81 NOK 379

-40.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.3 NOK 913

$99.3 NOK 921

-0.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.94 NOK 148

$19.17 NOK 178

-16.85%

Cappuccino

$6.41 NOK 59.5

$5.74 NOK 53.3

11.67%

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

$5.61 NOK 52.1

$2.88 NOK 26.75

94.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 NOK 43.92

$2.67 NOK 24.77

77.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.82 NOK 128

$6.60 NOK 61.2

109.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.69 NOK 99.2

$8.19 NOK 76.0

30.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.47 NOK 22.91

$2.32 NOK 21.49

6.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 NOK 33.02

$3.49 NOK 32.42

2.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.96

$4.01 NOK 37.22

-0.75%

Eggs

$4.88 NOK 45.27

$4.56 NOK 42.30

7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.99 NOK 139

$12.54 NOK 116

19.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 163

$17.04 NOK 158

2.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$35.30 NOK 328

$34.26 NOK 318

3.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 NOK 33.30

$3.85 NOK 35.74

-6.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.49

$2.67 NOK 24.81

6.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 33.49

$3.49 NOK 32.43

3.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 NOK 44.76

$6.04 NOK 56.1

-20.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 NOK 23.44

$2.84 NOK 26.39

-10.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 NOK 28.64

$3.18 NOK 29.50

-2.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.15

$2.65 NOK 24.61

6.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 21.74

$2.59 NOK 24.00

-9.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.25 NOK 169

$15.56 NOK 144

17.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.05 NOK 177

$13.73 NOK 127

38.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.76 NOK 34.87

$3.34 NOK 30.97

12.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 NOK 42.93

$4.71 NOK 43.69

-1.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.91 NOK 45.57

$2.62 NOK 24.36

87.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.2 NOK 819

$87.2 NOK 809

1.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 NOK 60.5

$12.01 NOK 111

-45.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NOK 16.21

$1.97 NOK 18.26

-11.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$105 NOK 974

$63.8 NOK 592

64.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 NOK 23.75

$2.27 NOK 21.08

12.78%

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

$48.9K NOK 454.3K

$55.3K NOK 513.5K

-11.53%

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

$42.0K NOK 389.8K

$47.2K NOK 437.7K

-10.93%

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

$268 NOK 2,488

$238 NOK 2,207

12.71%

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

$35.09 NOK 326

$36.62 NOK 340

-4.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.3 NOK 764

$47.03 NOK 436

75.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 NOK 499

$50.1 NOK 465

7.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.71 NOK 350

$38.46 NOK 357

-1.95%

Cinema Ticket

$21.86 NOK 203

$19.49 NOK 181

12.16%

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

$322 NOK 2,987

$239 NOK 2,217

34.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K NOK 109.9K

$11.6K NOK 107.7K

2.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$131 NOK 1,217

$111 NOK 1,034

17.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.2 NOK 559

$66.9 NOK 621

-9.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$150 NOK 1,391

$125 NOK 1,158

20.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$207 NOK 1,918

$180 NOK 1,670

14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,768 NOK 16.4K

$1,224 NOK 11.4K

44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.3K

$1,093 NOK 10.1K

30.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,917 NOK 27.1K

$1,606 NOK 14.9K

81.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 NOK 20.1K

$1,399 NOK 13.0K

54.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,490 NOK 60.2K

$6,415 NOK 59.5K

1.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,330 NOK 49.5K

$4,241 NOK 39.4K

25.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,344 NOK 49.6K

$2,714 NOK 25.2K

96.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

5.18

1.16%

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

Last update for Stavanger: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sarpsborg: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.9%

Sarpsborg

$1.1K 38.1% 23.5% $336

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$527 16.2%

Sarpsborg

$508 17.7% 3.7% $20

Eating Out

Stavanger

$450 13.8%

Sarpsborg

$524 18.3% 16.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$385 11.8%

Sarpsborg

$321 11.2% 16.6% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Sarpsborg

$217 7.6% 11.8% $29

Getting Around

Stavanger

$123 3.8%

Sarpsborg

$120 4.2% 2.9% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$98 3%

Sarpsborg

$89 3.1% 8.7% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,768 in Stavanger and $1,224 in Sarpsborg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 97% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Stavanger vs $99 in Sarpsborg. Groceries flip the comparison at $527 vs $508, with Sarpsborg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

59,906

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 EUR

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stavanger Sarpsborg 320 km

From you

Stavanger
Sarpsborg

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 Sarpsborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarpsborg wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Stavanger. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sarpsborg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 97% 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: $1,768 in Stavanger versus $1,224 in Sarpsborg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,259 per month in Stavanger versus $2,872 in Sarpsborg – Sarpsborg is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Stavanger. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Sarpsborg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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