Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stillwater, MN and Sandefjord

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandefjord: $2,549 a month against $2,884 in Stillwater, MN, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Stillwater, MN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

140

Cost of Living Index in Stillwater, MN
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Stillwater, MN Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Sandefjord
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Sandefjord Living Index

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Stillwater, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,884

/mo nomad

Sandefjord

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stillwater, MN and in Sandefjord

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Stillwater, MN and in Sandefjord actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,884 per month in Stillwater, MN vs $2,549 in Sandefjord, rent included.

Stillwater, MN $2,884
Sandefjord $2,549

A couple spends around $4,047 per month in Stillwater, MN vs $3,748 in Sandefjord, rent included.

Stillwater, MN $4,047
Sandefjord $3,748

A family of three spends $5,209 per month in Stillwater, MN vs $4,948 in Sandefjord, rent included.

Stillwater, MN $5,209
Sandefjord $4,948

Stillwater, MN costs about 13% more than Sandefjord, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Stillwater, MN and Sandefjord sit above the global median – Stillwater, MN by 114%, Sandefjord by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 $17.57

$20.53 NOK 193

-14.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$125 NOK 1,179

-35.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$15.78 NOK 149

-23.19%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$5.68 NOK 53.4

2.99%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$4.17 NOK 39.30

-26.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.15 NOK 20.19

5.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$10.05 NOK 94.6

-31.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$10.31 NOK 97.1

-22.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.12 NOK 19.97

-57.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.57 NOK 24.18

40.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$4.14 NOK 38.93

56.76%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$4.08 NOK 38.44

-12.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 $10.24

$14.78 NOK 139

-30.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 $13.54

$15.66 NOK 147

-13.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.88 $18.88

$30.89 NOK 291

-38.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.15 NOK 20.27

108.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.68 NOK 25.27

-32.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.18 NOK 20.56

109.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.85 NOK 26.80

84.21%

Potato (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.12 NOK 10.50

284.82%

Onion (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.68 NOK 25.26

55.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$3.09 NOK 29.09

-25.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.38 NOK 22.36

8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.94 $12.94

$15.81 NOK 149

-18.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.69 $15.69

$13.05 NOK 123

20.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.53 NOK 33.21

-18.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 $5.78

$4.14 NOK 39.00

39.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.10 NOK 47.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.9 $82.9

$66.5 NOK 626

24.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 $5.06

$11.71 NOK 110

-56.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.78 NOK 16.76

-2.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.82 $23.82

$48.90 NOK 460

-51.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.25 NOK 21.22

-55.11%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$47.4K NOK 446.0K

-23.83%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$41.6K NOK 391.8K

-38.83%

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

$131 $131

$264 NOK 2,487

-50.34%

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

$54.7 $54.7

$33.62 NOK 317

62.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 $66.7

$54.0 NOK 508

23.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$127 $127

$50.5 NOK 475

150.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.50 $34.50

$56.9 NOK 535

-39.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.54 $15.54

$15.54 NOK 146

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

$1,383 $1,383

$232 NOK 2,186

495.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K $35.8K

$4,887 NOK 46.0K

633.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 $58.7

$101 NOK 949

-41.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.66 $44.66

$44.41 NOK 418

0.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 $90.5

$80.0 NOK 753

13.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.40 $49.40

$153 NOK 1,443

-67.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 $1,492

$1,213 NOK 11.4K

23.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 $1,512

$1,015 NOK 9,556

48.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 $2,219

$1,539 NOK 14.5K

44.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,083 $2,083

$1,339 NOK 12.6K

55.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,067 $3,067

$6,273 NOK 59.1K

-51.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,899 $2,899

$3,696 NOK 34.8K

-21.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,855 $6,855

$3,976 NOK 37.4K

72.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

4.38

50.68%

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

Last update for Stillwater, MN: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sandefjord: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stillwater, MN

$1.5K 52.4%

Sandefjord

$1K 39.8% 32.9% $497

Groceries & Markets

Stillwater, MN

$437 15.2%

Sandefjord

$447 17.5% 2.2% $9.5

Eating Out

Stillwater, MN

$319 11.1%

Sandefjord

$376 14.8% 17.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stillwater, MN

$253 8.8%

Sandefjord

$352 13.8% 39.3% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Stillwater, MN

$158 5.5%

Sandefjord

$82 3.2% 48.2% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Stillwater, MN

$109 3.8%

Sandefjord

$170 6.7% 55.6% $61

Getting Around

Stillwater, MN

$97 * 3.4%

Sandefjord

$107 4.2% 11.3% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,492 in Stillwater, MN versus $1,213 in Sandefjord. 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 72% higher in Stillwater, MN, 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 $81.0 in Stillwater, MN versus $125 in Sandefjord. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $437 vs $447 – making Stillwater, MN the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Stillwater, MN

🇳🇴 Sandefjord

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

7 h ahead of Stillwater, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,818

66,366

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Stillwater, MN Sandefjord 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Stillwater, MN
Sandefjord

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

Stillwater, MN vs Sandefjord: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stillwater, MN costs about 13% more than Sandefjord, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,327 per month in Stillwater, MN and $3,823 in Sandefjord. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 25% less in Sandefjord. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,383 per month in Stillwater, MN and $232 in Sandefjord. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sandefjord, where all-in costs run around $2,549, than in Stillwater, MN at $2,884. In Sandefjord it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stillwater, MN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sandefjord – 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 Sandefjord. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stillwater, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.