Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Tromso

For one person, living costs are similar in Stavanger and in Tromso: $3,248 and $3,272 a month, rent and utilities included.

Stavanger, Norway
Tromso, Norway
Stavanger
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,248
/mo nomad
Tromso
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,272
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Tromso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Stavanger versus $3,272 in Tromso.

  • Stavanger $3,248
  • Tromso $3,272

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,717 in Stavanger versus $4,928 in Tromso.

  • Stavanger $4,717
  • Tromso $4,928

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

  • Stavanger $6,186
  • Tromso $6,584

Monthly costs are close between Stavanger and Tromso; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 139% above, Tromso 140% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Stavanger
Tromso
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.67 NOK 229
$34.84 NOK 324
-29.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$98.0 NOK 910
$107 NOK 991
-8.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.23 NOK 151
$16.13 NOK 150
0.62%
Cappuccino
$6.22 NOK 57.7
$6.87 NOK 63.8
-9.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.89 NOK 54.7
$5.02 NOK 46.63
17.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 NOK 42.07
$3.80 NOK 35.27
19.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.76 NOK 128
$12.79 NOK 119
7.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.62 NOK 98.7
$13.94 NOK 130
-23.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Stavanger
Tromso
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.53 NOK 23.48
$2.61 NOK 24.24
-3.07%
White Bread (500g)
$3.52 NOK 32.69
$3.47 NOK 32.28
1.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.98 NOK 36.94
$3.95 NOK 36.73
0.76%
Eggs
$4.75 NOK 44.17
$5.42 NOK 50.3
-12.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.22 NOK 141
$11.93 NOK 111
27.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.54 NOK 163
$15.18 NOK 141
15.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$36.16 NOK 336
$42.51 NOK 395
-14.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.53 NOK 32.81
$4.23 NOK 39.26
-16.55%
Banana (1kg)
$2.86 NOK 26.55
$3.03 NOK 28.17
-5.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.62 NOK 33.62
$5.42 NOK 50.4
-33.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.93 NOK 45.80
$6.08 NOK 56.5
-18.91%
Potato (1kg)
$2.55 NOK 23.73
$3.53 NOK 32.79
-27.76%
Onion (1kg)
$3.11 NOK 28.91
$4.89 NOK 45.43
-36.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.90 NOK 26.91
$2.97 NOK 27.61
-2.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 NOK 21.66
$2.14 NOK 19.85
8.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.27 NOK 170
$16.48 NOK 153
10.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.94 NOK 176
$17.78 NOK 165
6.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.80 NOK 35.34
$4.04 NOK 37.56
-5.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.51 NOK 41.90
$4.95 NOK 45.97
-8.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Stavanger
Tromso
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.75 NOK 44.09
$5.07 NOK 47.12
-6.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$85.4 NOK 794
$67.8 NOK 630
26.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.27 NOK 58.3
$16.35 NOK 152
-61.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.80 NOK 16.73
$2.16 NOK 20.08
-16.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$106 NOK 983
$57.4 NOK 533
84.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.46 NOK 22.90
$2.38 NOK 22.08
3.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.1K NOK 456.2K
$50.0K NOK 464.6K
-1.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.2K NOK 392.2K
$44.5K NOK 413.0K
-5.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stavanger
Tromso
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$260 NOK 2,412
$266 NOK 2,467
-2.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.92 NOK 315
$50.7 NOK 471
-33.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$79.9 NOK 742
$85.0 NOK 789
-5.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Stavanger
Tromso
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.0 NOK 483
$48.89 NOK 454
6.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$37.64 NOK 350
$48.46 NOK 450
-22.33%
Cinema Ticket
$22.16 NOK 206
$17.45 NOK 162
26.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Stavanger
Tromso
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$325 NOK 3,023
$324 NOK 3,013
0.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.3K NOK 133.2K
$7,850 NOK 72.9K
82.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Stavanger
Tromso
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$130 NOK 1,205
$68.8 NOK 639
88.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.9 NOK 575
$35.13 NOK 326
76.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$151 NOK 1,401
$153 NOK 1,423
-1.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$206 NOK 1,911
$166 NOK 1,539
24.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Stavanger
Tromso
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,805 NOK 16.8K
$1,780 NOK 16.5K
1.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 NOK 13.3K
$1,392 NOK 12.9K
2.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,895 NOK 26.9K
$3,215 NOK 29.9K
-9.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,145 NOK 19.9K
$2,341 NOK 21.8K
-8.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,468 NOK 60.1K
$8,342 NOK 77.5K
-22.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,430 NOK 50.4K
$5,634 NOK 52.3K
-3.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Stavanger
Tromso
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,086 NOK 47.3K
$4,302 NOK 40.0K
18.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.24
5.01
4.59%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tromso: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Stavanger
$1.4K
Tromso
$1.4K 2.6% $37
Groceries & Markets
Stavanger
$530
Tromso
$553 4.2% $22
Eating Out
Stavanger
$452
Tromso
$537 18.6% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stavanger
$373
Tromso
$401 7.4% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Stavanger
$247
Tromso
$190 22.9% $56
Getting Around
Stavanger
$120
Tromso
$115 3.7% $4.5
Sport & Entertainment
Stavanger
$96
Tromso
$84 13% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Stavanger and $1,780 in Tromso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Stavanger vs $107 in Tromso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $553 per month, with Stavanger cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Stavanger
🇳🇴 Tromso
🕒 Local time
23:04 11:04 PM
23:04 11:04 PM
Same time as Stavanger
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,330
78,908
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Stavanger Tromso 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Stavanger
  • Tromso

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 Tromso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Where can you earn more: Stavanger or Tromso?
Average pay runs 18% higher in Stavanger, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Stavanger and Tromso?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,805 in Stavanger versus $1,780 in Tromso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $325 in Stavanger versus $324 in Tromso. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Stavanger or in Tromso?
Dining out is cheaper in Stavanger – a meal for two runs $98 versus $107 in Tromso. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Stavanger or in Tromso?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Stavanger is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is it better to live in Stavanger or in Tromso?
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.
Which city is safer, Stavanger or Tromso?
Safety-wise, Stavanger and Tromso are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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