Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trondheim and Arendal

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,750 a month against $3,027 in Trondheim, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
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Trondheim Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index

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Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,027

/mo nomad

Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Trondheim and in Arendal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,027 in Trondheim versus $2,750 in Arendal.

Trondheim $3,027
Arendal $2,750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,390 in Trondheim versus $3,932 in Arendal.

Trondheim $4,390
Arendal $3,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,752 in Trondheim versus $5,113 in Arendal.

Trondheim $5,752
Arendal $5,113

Living in Trondheim is roughly 10% more expensive than in Arendal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Trondheim 122% above, Arendal 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.10 NOK 196

$20.71 NOK 192

1.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 NOK 1,008

$67.1 NOK 624

61.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.26 NOK 151

$16.06 NOK 149

1.25%

Cappuccino

$5.58 NOK 51.9

$5.51 NOK 51.2

1.27%

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

$5.90 NOK 54.8

$3.75 NOK 34.87

57.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 NOK 40.84

$3.42 NOK 31.76

28.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.21 NOK 123

$11.85 NOK 110

11.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.16 NOK 122

$10.58 NOK 98.3

24.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 NOK 23.38

$2.49 NOK 23.14

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 NOK 32.95

$3.55 NOK 32.97

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 NOK 35.60

$4.01 NOK 37.24

-4.49%

Eggs

$5.01 NOK 46.50

$4.76 NOK 44.23

5.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.20 NOK 123

$14.98 NOK 139

-11.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.00 NOK 158

$14.93 NOK 139

13.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.32 NOK 300

$34.94 NOK 325

-7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 37.25

$3.61 NOK 33.50

11.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 NOK 28.36

$2.75 NOK 25.55

10.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 NOK 35.97

$3.49 NOK 32.39

10.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.60 NOK 52.0

$4.99 NOK 46.34

12.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 NOK 27.67

$2.56 NOK 23.79

16.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 NOK 28.17

$3.16 NOK 29.34

-4.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 NOK 27.66

$2.90 NOK 26.97

2.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 21.88

$2.42 NOK 22.53

-2.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.01 NOK 167

$18.37 NOK 171

-1.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.61 NOK 173

$15.07 NOK 140

23.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.68 NOK 34.18

$3.74 NOK 34.78

-1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 42.06

$4.45 NOK 41.31

1.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.86 NOK 45.11

$3.78 NOK 35.12

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NOK 950

$94.4 NOK 877

8.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.63 NOK 89.5

$6.36 NOK 59.1

51.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NOK 15.26

$1.82 NOK 16.88

-9.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.7 NOK 574

$108 NOK 1,007

-43.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.54 NOK 23.60

$2.33 NOK 21.67

9.01%

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

$46.3K NOK 430.4K

$49.6K NOK 461.2K

-6.69%

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

$46.2K NOK 428.9K

$41.7K NOK 387.5K

10.69%

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

$281 NOK 2,609

$263 NOK 2,440

6.89%

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

$36.31 NOK 337

$34.00 NOK 316

6.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.9 NOK 789

$79.7 NOK 741

6.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.31 NOK 421

$37.05 NOK 344

22.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.99 NOK 381

Cinema Ticket

$19.70 NOK 183

$15.90 NOK 148

23.90%

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

$305 NOK 2,829

$335 NOK 3,108

-8.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,591 NOK 42.7K

$14.5K NOK 134.9K

-68.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 NOK 1,009

$131 NOK 1,213

-16.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 NOK 477

$44.64 NOK 415

15.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NOK 1,124

$130 NOK 1,209

-7.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 NOK 1,472

$210 NOK 1,948

-24.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,635 NOK 15.2K

$1,159 NOK 10.8K

41.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 NOK 11.8K

$1,053 NOK 9,785

20.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,320 NOK 21.6K

$1,593 NOK 14.8K

45.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,817 NOK 16.9K

$1,518 NOK 14.1K

19.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,610 NOK 61.4K

$4,347 NOK 40.4K

52.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,997 NOK 46.4K

$3,230 NOK 30.0K

54.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,392 NOK 40.8K

$4,235 NOK 39.3K

3.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

4.68

13.68%

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

Last update for Trondheim: October 26, 2026

Last update for Arendal: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Trondheim

$1.3K 41.8%

Arendal

$1.1K 38.3% 16.8% $213

Groceries & Markets

Trondheim

$519 17.2%

Arendal

$506 18.4% 2.6% $13

Eating Out

Trondheim

$418 13.8%

Arendal

$389 14.2% 6.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trondheim

$402 13.3%

Arendal

$376 13.7% 6.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Trondheim

$198 6.5%

Arendal

$232 8.4% 17.2% $34

Getting Around

Trondheim

$140 4.6%

Arendal

$125 4.5% 10.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Trondheim

$85 2.8%

Arendal

$69 2.5% 18.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,635 in Trondheim and $1,159 in Arendal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trondheim pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $108 in Trondheim vs $67 in Arendal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $519 vs $506 per month, with Arendal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🇳🇴 Arendal

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

Same time as Trondheim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,121

46,406

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Trondheim Arendal 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Trondheim
Arendal

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

Trondheim vs Arendal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,027 in Trondheim and $2,750 in Arendal, so Arendal is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Trondheim, 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: $1,635 in Trondheim versus $1,159 in Arendal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $305 in Trondheim versus $335 in Arendal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Trondheim. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

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

Expats usually find Arendal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Trondheim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.