Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Steinkjer

For one person, living is cheaper in Steinkjer: $2,773 a month against $3,138 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Stavanger
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,138
/mo nomad
Steinkjer
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,773
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Steinkjer

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,138 in Stavanger versus $2,773 in Steinkjer.

  • Stavanger $3,138
  • Steinkjer $2,773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,570 in Stavanger versus $3,905 in Steinkjer.

  • Stavanger $4,570
  • Steinkjer $3,905

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,002 in Stavanger versus $5,037 in Steinkjer.

  • Stavanger $6,002
  • Steinkjer $5,037

Living in Stavanger is roughly 13% more expensive than in Steinkjer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 132% above, Steinkjer 105% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Stavanger
Steinkjer
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.72 NOK 233
$20.51 NOK 193
20.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$95.7 NOK 901
$58.2 NOK 548
64.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.96 NOK 150
$13.52 NOK 127
18.05%
Cappuccino
$6.23 NOK 58.6
$4.62 NOK 43.52
34.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.20 NOK 48.94
$5.75 NOK 54.2
-9.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 NOK 40.09
$4.25 NOK 39.99
0.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.68 NOK 129
$10.33 NOK 97.3
32.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$11.94 NOK 112
$6.20 NOK 58.3
92.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Stavanger
Steinkjer
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 NOK 22.95
$2.46 NOK 23.13
-0.81%
White Bread (500g)
$3.52 NOK 33.10
$3.46 NOK 32.61
1.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.85 NOK 36.29
$3.60 NOK 33.88
6.94%
Eggs
$4.72 NOK 44.40
$4.95 NOK 46.62
-4.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.37 NOK 135
$12.85 NOK 121
11.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.68 NOK 157
$16.08 NOK 151
3.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$35.66 NOK 336
$28.53 NOK 269
24.99%
Apples (1kg)
$3.46 NOK 32.59
$3.91 NOK 36.76
-11.51%
Banana (1kg)
$2.78 NOK 26.19
$2.93 NOK 27.59
-5.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.38 NOK 31.79
$3.90 NOK 36.70
-13.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.92 NOK 46.33
$5.71 NOK 53.8
-13.84%
Potato (1kg)
$2.49 NOK 23.42
$2.89 NOK 27.18
-13.84%
Onion (1kg)
$2.98 NOK 28.05
$3.07 NOK 28.89
-2.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.83 NOK 26.63
$2.78 NOK 26.17
1.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 NOK 22.09
$2.23 NOK 20.96
5.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.60 NOK 166
$17.67 NOK 166
-0.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.73 NOK 176
$18.14 NOK 171
3.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.74 NOK 35.21
$3.50 NOK 32.92
6.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 NOK 41.58
$4.65 NOK 43.77
-4.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Stavanger
Steinkjer
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.64 NOK 43.68
$4.21 NOK 39.65
10.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$84.1 NOK 792
$85.6 NOK 805
-1.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.07 NOK 57.1
$9.24 NOK 87.0
-34.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.70 NOK 16.01
$1.61 NOK 15.17
5.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$102 NOK 961
$58.4 NOK 550
74.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.43 NOK 22.85
$2.47 NOK 23.27
-1.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.3K NOK 455.1K
$45.4K NOK 427.7K
6.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.0K NOK 395.1K
$45.4K NOK 427.8K
-7.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stavanger
Steinkjer
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$249 NOK 2,346
$266 NOK 2,505
-6.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.59 NOK 326
$35.46 NOK 334
-2.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$80.9 NOK 762
$81.8 NOK 770
-1.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Stavanger
Steinkjer
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.2 NOK 473
$54.1 NOK 510
-7.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$36.81 NOK 347
$41.52 NOK 391
-11.34%
Cinema Ticket
$21.38 NOK 201
$15.71 NOK 148
36.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Stavanger
Steinkjer
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$320 NOK 3,014
$293 NOK 2,763
9.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K NOK 133.9K
$4,447 NOK 41.9K
219.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Stavanger
Steinkjer
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$126 NOK 1,183
$105 NOK 989
19.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.8 NOK 553
$51.2 NOK 482
14.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$149 NOK 1,406
$118 NOK 1,109
26.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$198 NOK 1,865
$154 NOK 1,453
28.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Stavanger
Steinkjer
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 NOK 16.0K
$1,200 NOK 11.3K
41.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,356 NOK 12.8K
$1,133 NOK 10.7K
19.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,735 NOK 25.7K
$2,078 NOK 19.6K
31.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,042 NOK 19.2K
$1,580 NOK 14.9K
29.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,207 NOK 58.4K
$6,718 NOK 63.2K
-7.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,292 NOK 49.8K
$3,607 NOK 34.0K
46.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Stavanger
Steinkjer
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,011 NOK 47.2K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.27
5.32
-0.94%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 11, 2026

Last update for Steinkjer: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Stavanger
$1.4K
Steinkjer
$1.1K 16.5% $223
Groceries & Markets
Stavanger
$517
Steinkjer
$495 4.3% $22
Eating Out
Stavanger
$450
Steinkjer
$364 19.2% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stavanger
$365
Steinkjer
$383 5.1% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Stavanger
$239
Steinkjer
$193 19.5% $47
Getting Around
Stavanger
$117
Steinkjer
$120 2.1% $2.5
Sport & Entertainment
Stavanger
$93
Steinkjer
$86 8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Stavanger and $1,200 in Steinkjer. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $96.0 in Stavanger vs $58.0 in Steinkjer for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $517 vs $495 per month, with Steinkjer cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Stavanger
🇳🇴 Steinkjer
🕒 Local time
18:44 6:44 PM
18:44 6:44 PM
Same time as Stavanger
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,330
24,066
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Stavanger Steinkjer 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Stavanger
  • Steinkjer

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 Steinkjer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Steinkjer cheaper than Stavanger?
Steinkjer is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $4,708 in Stavanger and $4,160 in Steinkjer to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Stavanger and Steinkjer?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Stavanger versus $1,200 in Steinkjer. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Stavanger and in Steinkjer?
All in, you'll spend $3,138 per month in Stavanger versus $2,773 in Steinkjer – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Steinkjer runs roughly 2% less than in Stavanger. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $2,000 enough to cover costs in Stavanger or in Steinkjer?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Steinkjer is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is Stavanger or Steinkjer more family-friendly?
For families, Steinkjer is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Stavanger, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Stavanger or Steinkjer?
Safety-wise, Stavanger and Steinkjer are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Steinkjer gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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