Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trondheim and Kirkenes

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkenes: $2,624 a month against $2,883 in Trondheim, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Trondheim
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,883
/mo nomad
Kirkenes
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,624
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Trondheim and in Kirkenes

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

A single person spends $2,883 per month in Trondheim vs $2,624 in Kirkenes, rent included.

  • Trondheim $2,883
  • Kirkenes $2,624

A couple spends around $4,253 per month in Trondheim vs $4,013 in Kirkenes, rent included.

  • Trondheim $4,253
  • Kirkenes $4,013

A family of three spends $5,624 per month in Trondheim vs $5,401 in Kirkenes, rent included.

  • Trondheim $5,624
  • Kirkenes $5,401

Trondheim costs about 10% more than Kirkenes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Trondheim and Kirkenes sit above the global median – Trondheim by 113%, Kirkenes by 94%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Trondheim
Kirkenes
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.15 NOK 199
$20.52 NOK 193
3.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$106 NOK 1,001
$106 NOK 995
0.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.17 NOK 152
$15.63 NOK 147
3.45%
Cappuccino
$5.73 NOK 53.9
$5.45 NOK 51.3
5.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 NOK 53.7
$4.02 NOK 37.87
41.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.15 NOK 39.09
$3.05 NOK 28.68
36.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.02 NOK 123
$11.73 NOK 110
11.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$13.08 NOK 123
$10.48 NOK 98.7
24.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Trondheim
Kirkenes
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.57 NOK 24.15
$2.42 NOK 22.80
6.20%
White Bread (500g)
$3.50 NOK 32.91
$3.58 NOK 33.72
-2.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.68 NOK 34.61
$3.75 NOK 35.33
-1.87%
Eggs
$4.95 NOK 46.64
$4.78 NOK 44.95
3.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.06 NOK 123
$13.26 NOK 125
-1.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.61 NOK 156
$15.52 NOK 146
7.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$32.78 NOK 309
$31.46 NOK 296
4.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 NOK 35.90
$3.41 NOK 32.06
11.73%
Banana (1kg)
$3.01 NOK 28.34
$2.57 NOK 24.16
17.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.96 NOK 37.25
$3.41 NOK 32.10
16.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.63 NOK 53.0
$4.91 NOK 46.19
14.66%
Potato (1kg)
$2.97 NOK 27.96
$2.55 NOK 23.99
16.47%
Onion (1kg)
$2.97 NOK 27.97
$2.90 NOK 27.25
2.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.86 NOK 26.90
$3.00 NOK 28.25
-4.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 NOK 22.05
$2.25 NOK 21.14
4.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.54 NOK 165
$17.68 NOK 166
-0.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.01 NOK 179
$16.49 NOK 155
15.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.62 NOK 34.07
$3.52 NOK 33.15
2.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.68 NOK 44.05
$4.32 NOK 40.69
8.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Trondheim
Kirkenes
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.92 NOK 46.32
$4.47 NOK 42.12
10.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$100 NOK 943
$83.8 NOK 789
19.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.30 NOK 87.6
$11.67 NOK 110
-20.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 NOK 15.33
$1.88 NOK 17.66
-13.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.9 NOK 564
$69.5 NOK 654
-13.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.46 NOK 23.16
$2.28 NOK 21.44
7.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$46.2K NOK 434.8K
$47.8K NOK 449.6K
-3.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$46.4K NOK 437.1K
$44.2K NOK 415.8K
5.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Trondheim
Kirkenes
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$275 NOK 2,587
$276 NOK 2,597
-0.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.49 NOK 344
$33.69 NOK 317
8.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$84.4 NOK 795
$53.7 NOK 506
57.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Trondheim
Kirkenes
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.46 NOK 409
$49.18 NOK 463
-11.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$40.62 NOK 382
$37.20 NOK 350
9.19%
Cinema Ticket
$19.06 NOK 179
$17.36 NOK 163
9.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Trondheim
Kirkenes
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$306 NOK 2,880
$238 NOK 2,241
28.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,484 NOK 42.2K
$13.0K NOK 122.7K
-65.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Trondheim
Kirkenes
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$110 NOK 1,031
$99.7 NOK 939
9.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.6 NOK 476
$55.3 NOK 521
-8.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 NOK 1,129
$124 NOK 1,169
-3.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$160 NOK 1,510
$154 NOK 1,454
3.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Trondheim
Kirkenes
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,484 NOK 14.0K
$1,205 NOK 11.3K
23.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,136 NOK 10.7K
$987 NOK 9,289
15.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,243 NOK 21.1K
$1,954 NOK 18.4K
14.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,722 NOK 16.2K
$1,698 NOK 16.0K
1.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,405 NOK 60.3K
$6,098 NOK 57.4K
5.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,147 NOK 48.5K
$4,024 NOK 37.9K
27.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Trondheim
Kirkenes
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,388 NOK 41.3K
$5,191 NOK 48.9K
-15.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.32
4.94
7.69%

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

Last update for Trondheim: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kirkenes: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Trondheim
$1.1K
Kirkenes
$987 13.2% $149
Groceries & Markets
Trondheim
$517
Kirkenes
$488 5.5% $29
Eating Out
Trondheim
$417
Kirkenes
$384 7.9% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Trondheim
$396
Kirkenes
$363 8.2% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Trondheim
$198
Kirkenes
$195 1.5% $3
Getting Around
Trondheim
$137
Kirkenes
$123 10.6% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Trondheim
$82
Kirkenes
$84 2.8% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,484 in Trondheim versus $1,205 in Kirkenes. 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 18% higher in Kirkenes, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $106 in Trondheim versus $106 in Kirkenes. Groceries tell a different story – $517 in Trondheim vs $488 in Kirkenes – so Kirkenes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Trondheim
🇳🇴 Kirkenes
🕒 Local time
13:37 1:37 PM
13:37 1:37 PM
Same time as Trondheim
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
215,121
3,500
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Trondheim Kirkenes 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Trondheim
  • Kirkenes

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 Kirkenes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kirkenes cheaper than Trondheim?
Yes – Trondheim is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,324 per month in Trondheim and $3,937 in Kirkenes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kirkenes, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Trondheim or in Kirkenes?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $106 in Trondheim and $106 in Kirkenes. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Trondheim and in Kirkenes?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,883 in Trondheim and $2,624 in Kirkenes. That's a gap of about 10%.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Trondheim or in Kirkenes?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,883 in Trondheim and $2,624 in Kirkenes. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Trondheim or Kirkenes more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kirkenes – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Trondheim or Kirkenes?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kirkenes. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Trondheim makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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