Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tromso and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bergen: $2,869 a month against $3,073 in Tromso, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Tromso
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Tromso Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Tromso

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,073

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tromso and in Bergen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Tromso versus $2,869 in Bergen.

Tromso $3,073
Bergen $2,869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,616 in Tromso versus $4,330 in Bergen.

Tromso $4,616
Bergen $4,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,158 in Tromso versus $5,790 in Bergen.

Tromso $6,158
Bergen $5,790

Living in Tromso is roughly 7% more expensive than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tromso 128% above, Bergen 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.24 NOK 322

$23.37 NOK 220

46.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 NOK 974

$134 NOK 1,263

-22.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.60 NOK 147

$15.56 NOK 147

0.26%

Cappuccino

$6.77 NOK 63.7

$5.30 NOK 49.86

27.74%

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

$4.78 NOK 45.00

$5.07 NOK 47.70

-5.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 NOK 34.75

$4.51 NOK 42.48

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.57 NOK 118

$12.55 NOK 118

0.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.64 NOK 128

$10.56 NOK 99.4

29.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 NOK 23.48

$2.19 NOK 20.66

13.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 NOK 30.72

$3.92 NOK 36.88

-16.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 NOK 36.91

$3.42 NOK 32.20

14.62%

Eggs

$5.18 NOK 48.80

$6.34 NOK 59.7

-18.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 NOK 109

$14.80 NOK 139

-21.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.85 NOK 140

$17.41 NOK 164

-14.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.81 NOK 384

$36.51 NOK 344

11.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 NOK 37.24

$4.12 NOK 38.83

-3.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 NOK 27.46

$2.68 NOK 25.22

8.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 NOK 50.3

$3.48 NOK 32.77

53.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.07 NOK 57.2

$5.46 NOK 51.4

11.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 33.27

$2.51 NOK 23.59

40.64%

Onion (1kg)

$4.89 NOK 46.02

$3.38 NOK 31.78

44.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 NOK 28.07

$2.83 NOK 26.68

5.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 NOK 19.67

$1.79 NOK 16.84

16.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.36 NOK 154

$17.41 NOK 164

-6.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.30 NOK 163

$18.96 NOK 178

-8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.94 NOK 37.07

$3.58 NOK 33.66

10.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 NOK 43.91

$4.22 NOK 39.70

10.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.03 NOK 47.39

$5.05 NOK 47.54

-0.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 NOK 631

$85.0 NOK 800

-21.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.40 NOK 145

$12.36 NOK 116

24.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 NOK 19.21

$1.92 NOK 18.05

6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 NOK 533

$71.5 NOK 673

-20.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 21.93

$2.44 NOK 22.96

-4.51%

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

$48.3K NOK 454.8K

$48.7K NOK 458.5K

-0.81%

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

$43.5K NOK 409.1K

$43.0K NOK 405.0K

1.02%

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

$253 NOK 2,383

$281 NOK 2,641

-9.76%

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

$49.95 NOK 470

$32.84 NOK 309

52.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.3 NOK 775

$81.5 NOK 767

1.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 NOK 475

$45.18 NOK 425

11.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.87 NOK 441

$42.91 NOK 404

9.23%

Cinema Ticket

$17.44 NOK 164

$18.56 NOK 175

-6.03%

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

$313 NOK 2,949

$239 NOK 2,251

31.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,407 NOK 69.7K

$11.6K NOK 109.6K

-36.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 NOK 617

$107 NOK 1,003

-38.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 NOK 333

$53.3 NOK 502

-33.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 NOK 1,361

$119 NOK 1,116

21.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 NOK 1,538

$163 NOK 1,534

0.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 NOK 14.7K

$1,483 NOK 14.0K

5.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 NOK 11.7K

$1,117 NOK 10.5K

11.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,786 NOK 26.2K

$2,327 NOK 21.9K

19.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,027 NOK 19.1K

$1,714 NOK 16.1K

18.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,960 NOK 65.5K

$7,835 NOK 73.8K

-11.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,271 NOK 49.6K

$4,754 NOK 44.8K

10.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,125 NOK 38.8K

$4,567 NOK 43.0K

-9.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

5.27

-4.93%

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

Last update for Tromso: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tromso

$1.2K 40.5%

Bergen

$1.1K 38.9% 10.3% $128

Groceries & Markets

Tromso

$536 17.4%

Bergen

$530 18.5% 1% $5.1

Eating Out

Tromso

$526 17.1%

Bergen

$419 14.6% 20.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tromso

$385 12.5%

Bergen

$395 13.8% 2.4% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Tromso

$184 6%

Bergen

$199 6.9% 8% $15

Getting Around

Tromso

$113 3.7%

Bergen

$127 4.4% 12.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Tromso

$85 2.8%

Bergen

$82 2.9% 3.6% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,566 in Tromso and $1,483 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $103 in Tromso vs $134 in Bergen. Groceries flip the comparison at $536 vs $530, with Bergen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Tromso

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

Same time as Tromso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,908

292,482

💱 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

Tromso Bergen 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Tromso
Bergen

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

Tromso vs Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bergen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Bergen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,566 in Tromso versus $1,483 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $313 in Tromso versus $239 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Tromso. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Bergen is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Bergen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tromso, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tromso and Bergen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bergen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Tromso. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.