Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Trondheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Trondheim: $3,027 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
145

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
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Trondheim Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger and in Trondheim

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Stavanger versus $3,027 in Trondheim.

Stavanger $3,248
Trondheim $3,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,717 in Stavanger versus $4,390 in Trondheim.

Stavanger $4,717
Trondheim $4,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,186 in Stavanger versus $5,752 in Trondheim.

Stavanger $6,186
Trondheim $5,752

Living in Stavanger is roughly 7% more expensive than in Trondheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 139% above, Trondheim 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 NOK 227

$21.10 NOK 194

16.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 NOK 900

$108 NOK 996

-9.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 149

$16.26 NOK 149

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$6.22 NOK 57.1

$5.58 NOK 51.3

11.47%

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

$5.89 NOK 54.1

$5.90 NOK 54.2

-0.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 41.60

$4.40 NOK 40.38

2.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.76 NOK 126

$13.21 NOK 121

4.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.62 NOK 97.6

$13.16 NOK 121

-19.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.22

$2.52 NOK 23.12

0.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 32.32

$3.55 NOK 32.58

-0.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.53

$3.83 NOK 35.20

3.92%

Eggs

$4.75 NOK 43.68

$5.01 NOK 45.98

-5.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 NOK 140

$13.20 NOK 121

15.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 161

$17.00 NOK 156

3.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 332

$32.32 NOK 297

11.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.44

$4.01 NOK 36.84

-11.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.25

$3.05 NOK 28.04

-6.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.25

$3.87 NOK 35.57

-6.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NOK 45.29

$5.60 NOK 51.4

-11.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.46

$2.98 NOK 27.36

-14.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 28.58

$3.03 NOK 27.86

2.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.61

$2.98 NOK 27.35

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.41

$2.35 NOK 21.63

-0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.27 NOK 168

$18.01 NOK 165

1.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 NOK 174

$18.61 NOK 171

1.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 34.94

$3.68 NOK 33.80

3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 41.44

$4.53 NOK 41.59

-0.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.75 NOK 43.60

$4.86 NOK 44.61

-2.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 NOK 785

$102 NOK 940

-16.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 NOK 57.6

$9.63 NOK 88.5

-34.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.54

$1.64 NOK 15.09

9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 972

$61.7 NOK 567

71.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.64

$2.54 NOK 23.34

-3.15%

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

$49.1K NOK 451.1K

$46.3K NOK 425.6K

6.01%

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

$42.2K NOK 387.8K

$46.2K NOK 424.2K

-8.57%

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

$260 NOK 2,385

$281 NOK 2,579

-7.54%

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

$33.92 NOK 312

$36.31 NOK 334

-6.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 NOK 734

$84.9 NOK 780

-5.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 NOK 477

$45.31 NOK 416

14.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 NOK 346

$40.99 NOK 377

-8.17%

Cinema Ticket

$22.16 NOK 204

$19.70 NOK 181

12.49%

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

$325 NOK 2,990

$305 NOK 2,798

6.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K NOK 131.7K

$4,591 NOK 42.2K

212.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,191

$109 NOK 998

19.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 NOK 569

$51.4 NOK 472

20.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 NOK 1,386

$121 NOK 1,112

24.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 NOK 1,890

$158 NOK 1,455

29.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 NOK 16.6K

$1,635 NOK 15.0K

10.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.1K

$1,266 NOK 11.6K

12.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 NOK 26.6K

$2,320 NOK 21.3K

24.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 NOK 19.7K

$1,817 NOK 16.7K

18.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,468 NOK 59.4K

$6,610 NOK 60.7K

-2.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,430 NOK 49.9K

$4,997 NOK 45.9K

8.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,086 NOK 46.7K

$4,392 NOK 40.3K

15.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

5.32

-1.50%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Trondheim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 44%

Trondheim

$1.3K 41.8% 11.4% $163

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$530 16.3%

Trondheim

$519 17.2% 2.1% $11

Eating Out

Stavanger

$452 13.9%

Trondheim

$418 13.8% 7.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$373 11.5%

Trondheim

$402 13.3% 7.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Trondheim

$198 6.5% 19.8% $49

Getting Around

Stavanger

$120 3.7%

Trondheim

$140 4.6% 16.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$96 3%

Trondheim

$85 2.8% 12% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Stavanger and $1,635 in Trondheim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Stavanger vs $108 in Trondheim. Groceries flip the comparison at $530 vs $519, with Trondheim cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

215,121

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Stavanger Trondheim 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Stavanger
Trondheim

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 Trondheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Trondheim is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $1,805 in Stavanger versus $1,635 in Trondheim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $325 in Stavanger versus $305 in Trondheim. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Stavanger – a meal for two runs $98 versus $108 in Trondheim. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Trondheim is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Trondheim 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.

Safety-wise, Stavanger and Trondheim are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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