Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tromso and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Tromso: $3,272 a month against $3,785 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seattle, WA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

158

Cost of Living Index in Tromso
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Tromso Living Index
184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index

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Tromso

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,272

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tromso and in Seattle, WA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,272 in Tromso versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA.

Tromso $3,272
Seattle, WA $3,785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,928 in Tromso versus $5,688 in Seattle, WA.

Tromso $4,928
Seattle, WA $5,688

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,584 in Tromso versus $7,592 in Seattle, WA.

Tromso $6,584
Seattle, WA $7,592

Living in Tromso costs roughly 14% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tromso 140% above, Seattle, WA 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.84 NOK 320

$25.30 $25.30

37.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 NOK 980

$101 $101

5.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.13 NOK 148

$14.76 $14.76

9.28%

Cappuccino

$6.87 NOK 63.1

$6.50 $6.50

5.69%

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

$5.02 NOK 46.11

$3.21 $3.21

56.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 34.88

$3.14 $3.14

21.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.79 NOK 118

$7.97 $7.97

60.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.94 NOK 128

$8.13 $8.13

71.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 NOK 23.97

$1.17 $1.17

123.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 31.92

$5.30 $5.30

-34.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 NOK 36.32

$6.40 $6.40

-38.28%

Eggs

$5.42 NOK 49.75

$5.06 $5.06

7.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 NOK 110

$18.71 $18.71

-36.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.18 NOK 139

$18.72 $18.72

-18.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.51 NOK 391

$22.88 $22.88

85.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.23 NOK 38.82

$6.06 $6.06

-30.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 NOK 27.85

$1.95 $1.95

55.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.42 NOK 49.81

$5.51 $5.51

-1.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.08 NOK 55.9

$6.52 $6.52

-6.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.42

$3.49 $3.49

1.15%

Onion (1kg)

$4.89 NOK 44.93

$3.29 $3.29

48.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 NOK 27.30

$2.80 $2.80

6.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 NOK 19.63

$2.58 $2.58

-17.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.48 NOK 151

$12.49 $12.49

31.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 NOK 163

$14.87 $14.87

19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.04 NOK 37.14

$4.19 $4.19

-3.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 NOK 45.46

$5.80 $5.80

-14.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.07 NOK 46.59

$3.05 $3.05

66.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.8 NOK 623

$106 $106

-36.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.35 NOK 150

$2.58 $2.58

533.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 NOK 19.86

$1.64 $1.64

31.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.4 NOK 527

$30.12 $30.12

90.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 NOK 21.84

$1.41 $1.41

68.79%

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

$50.0K NOK 459.5K

$36.8K $36.8K

35.91%

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

$44.5K NOK 408.4K

$26.6K $26.6K

67.17%

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

$266 NOK 2,440

$308 $308

-13.67%

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

$50.7 NOK 466

$69.2 $69.2

-26.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 NOK 781

$86.1 $86.1

-1.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.89 NOK 449

$76.5 $76.5

-36.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.46 NOK 445

$35.50 $35.50

36.51%

Cinema Ticket

$17.45 NOK 160

$18.02 $18.02

-3.16%

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

$324 NOK 2,979

$2,746 $2,746

-88.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,850 NOK 72.1K

$30.6K $30.6K

-74.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 NOK 632

$79.2 $79.2

-13.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 NOK 323

$54.3 $54.3

-35.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 NOK 1,407

$127 $127

20.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 NOK 1,522

$159 $159

4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 NOK 16.4K

$2,508 $2,508

-29.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,392 NOK 12.8K

$1,938 $1,938

-28.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,215 NOK 29.5K

$5,117 $5,117

-37.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 NOK 21.5K

$3,542 $3,542

-33.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,342 NOK 76.6K

$7,374 $7,374

13.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,634 NOK 51.8K

$5,002 $5,002

12.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,302 NOK 39.5K

$6,470 $6,470

-33.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

6.89

-27.29%

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

Last update for Tromso: October 26, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tromso

$1.4K 42.6%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.2% 39.2% $546

Groceries & Markets

Tromso

$553 16.9%

Seattle, WA

$547 14.5% 1% $5.6

Eating Out

Tromso

$537 16.4%

Seattle, WA

$406 10.7% 24.3% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tromso

$401 12.3%

Seattle, WA

$463 12.2% 15.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Tromso

$190 5.8%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 0.8% $1.6

Getting Around

Tromso

$115 3.5%

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4% 11.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Tromso

$84 2.6%

Seattle, WA

$112 3% 34.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,780 in Tromso and $2,508 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $107 in Tromso vs $101 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $553 vs $547 per month, with Seattle, WA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Tromso

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

16:06 4:06 PM

9 h behind Tromso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,908

737,015

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

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Between locations

Tromso Seattle, WA 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tromso
Seattle, WA

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 Seattle, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tromso is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Tromso. 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: $1,780 in Tromso versus $2,508 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $324 in Tromso versus $2,746 in Seattle, WA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Seattle, WA – a meal for two runs $101 versus $107 in Tromso. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Tromso is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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