Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Skien

For one person, living is cheaper in Skien: $2,336 a month against $3,138 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,138

/mo nomad

Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Skien

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

A single person spends $3,138 per month in Stavanger vs $2,336 in Skien, rent included.

Stavanger $3,138
Skien $2,336

A couple spends around $4,570 per month in Stavanger vs $3,267 in Skien, rent included.

Stavanger $4,570
Skien $3,267

A family of three spends $6,002 per month in Stavanger vs $4,197 in Skien, rent included.

Stavanger $6,002
Skien $4,197

Stavanger costs about 34% more than Skien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Stavanger and Skien sit above the global median – Stavanger by 132%, Skien by 73%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.72 NOK 233

$21.21 NOK 200

16.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.7 NOK 901

$103 NOK 971

-7.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.96 NOK 150

$15.47 NOK 146

3.17%

Cappuccino

$6.23 NOK 58.6

$5.11 NOK 48.11

21.92%

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

$5.20 NOK 48.94

$4.36 NOK 41.01

19.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 NOK 40.09

$2.97 NOK 27.96

43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.68 NOK 129

$11.89 NOK 112

15.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.94 NOK 112

$12.33 NOK 116

-3.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 NOK 22.95

$2.11 NOK 19.84

15.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 33.10

$3.92 NOK 36.90

-10.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.85 NOK 36.29

$4.57 NOK 42.98

-15.75%

Eggs

$4.72 NOK 44.40

$5.66 NOK 53.3

-16.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.37 NOK 135

$13.16 NOK 124

9.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.68 NOK 157

$15.17 NOK 143

9.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$35.66 NOK 336

$21.79 NOK 205

63.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 32.59

$3.35 NOK 31.49

3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 NOK 26.19

$2.70 NOK 25.42

2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 NOK 31.79

$3.49 NOK 32.86

-3.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 NOK 46.33

$5.95 NOK 56.0

-17.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 NOK 23.42

$2.24 NOK 21.04

11.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 NOK 28.05

$2.78 NOK 26.12

7.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 NOK 26.63

$3.04 NOK 28.63

-6.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.09

$2.48 NOK 23.33

-5.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.60 NOK 166

$19.02 NOK 179

-7.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.73 NOK 176

$15.76 NOK 148

18.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 35.21

$3.35 NOK 31.58

11.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 NOK 41.58

$4.33 NOK 40.76

2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.64 NOK 43.68

$3.26 NOK 30.64

42.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 NOK 792

$47.91 NOK 451

75.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.07 NOK 57.1

$11.13 NOK 105

-45.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 16.01

$1.81 NOK 17.02

-6.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$102 NOK 961

$70.8 NOK 667

44.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 NOK 22.85

$2.27 NOK 21.39

7.05%

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

$48.3K NOK 455.1K

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

1.75%

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

$42.0K NOK 395.1K

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

-3.20%

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

$249 NOK 2,346

$93.9 NOK 884

165.54%

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

$34.59 NOK 326

$33.89 NOK 319

2.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.9 NOK 762

$53.6 NOK 504

51.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 NOK 473

$43.10 NOK 406

16.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.81 NOK 347

Cinema Ticket

$21.38 NOK 201

$15.29 NOK 144

39.83%

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

$320 NOK 3,014

$239 NOK 2,247

34.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K NOK 133.9K

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

-9.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$126 NOK 1,183

$63.7 NOK 600

97.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 NOK 553

$60.4 NOK 568

-2.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 NOK 1,406

$87.9 NOK 827

70.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 NOK 1,865

$153 NOK 1,442

29.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 NOK 16.0K

$1,042 NOK 9,811

62.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 NOK 12.8K

$975 NOK 9,183

39.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,735 NOK 25.7K

$1,035 NOK 9,746

164.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 NOK 19.2K

$939 NOK 8,841

117.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,207 NOK 58.4K

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

82.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,292 NOK 49.8K

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

68.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,011 NOK 47.2K

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

18.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.37

20.59%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 11, 2026

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.2%

Skien

$975 41.8% 28.1% $381

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$517 16.5%

Skien

$470 20.1% 9.2% $48

Eating Out

Stavanger

$450 14.4%

Skien

$391 16.7% 13.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$365 11.6%

Skien

$181 7.8% 50.3% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$239 7.6%

Skien

$164 7% 31.4% $75

Getting Around

Stavanger

$117 3.7%

Skien

$81 3.5% 30.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$93 3%

Skien

$74 3.2% 20.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,697 in Stavanger versus $1,042 in Skien. 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 18% 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 $103 in Skien. Groceries tell a different story – $517 in Stavanger vs $470 in Skien – so Skien wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Skien

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

56,769

💱 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

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Between locations

Stavanger Skien 220 km

From you

Stavanger
Skien

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 Skien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stavanger is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,708 per month in Stavanger and $3,504 in Skien. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Stavanger and $103 in Skien. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,138 in Stavanger and $2,336 in Skien. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Skien, where all-in costs run around $2,336, than in Stavanger at $3,138. In Skien it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stavanger it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Skien – 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 Skien. 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.