Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trondheim and Kristiansand

For one person, living is cheaper in Kristiansand: $2,685 a month against $2,883 in Trondheim, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
Learn more

Trondheim Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Kristiansand
Learn more

Kristiansand Living Index

Jump to prices

Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,883

/mo nomad

Kristiansand

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Trondheim and in Kristiansand

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Trondheim versus $2,685 in Kristiansand.

Trondheim $2,883
Kristiansand $2,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,253 in Trondheim versus $4,020 in Kristiansand.

Trondheim $4,253
Kristiansand $4,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,624 in Trondheim versus $5,355 in Kristiansand.

Trondheim $5,624
Kristiansand $5,355

Living in Trondheim is roughly 7% more expensive than in Kristiansand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Trondheim 113% above, Kristiansand 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.15 NOK 199

$28.76 NOK 271

-26.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 1,001

$84.8 NOK 798

25.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.17 NOK 152

$16.39 NOK 154

-1.34%

Cappuccino

$5.73 NOK 53.9

$4.84 NOK 45.59

18.39%

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

$5.70 NOK 53.7

$3.31 NOK 31.18

72.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 NOK 39.09

$2.34 NOK 22.02

77.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.02 NOK 123

$12.69 NOK 119

2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.08 NOK 123

$9.24 NOK 87.0

41.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 NOK 24.15

$2.32 NOK 21.81

10.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 NOK 32.91

$4.19 NOK 39.43

-16.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 NOK 34.61

$3.98 NOK 37.46

-7.54%

Eggs

$4.95 NOK 46.64

$5.70 NOK 53.7

-13.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.06 NOK 123

$12.88 NOK 121

1.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.61 NOK 156

$15.49 NOK 146

7.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.78 NOK 309

$43.89 NOK 413

-25.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 NOK 35.90

$4.41 NOK 41.52

-13.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 NOK 28.34

$2.49 NOK 23.45

20.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.96 NOK 37.25

$4.02 NOK 37.80

-1.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.63 NOK 53.0

$4.65 NOK 43.77

21.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 NOK 27.96

$2.55 NOK 24.00

16.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 NOK 27.97

$2.43 NOK 22.85

22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 NOK 26.90

$3.13 NOK 29.48

-8.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 22.05

$2.22 NOK 20.94

5.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.54 NOK 165

$17.30 NOK 163

1.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.01 NOK 179

$15.80 NOK 149

20.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.62 NOK 34.07

$3.61 NOK 34.01

0.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 NOK 44.05

$3.99 NOK 37.54

17.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.92 NOK 46.32

$3.90 NOK 36.68

26.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 NOK 943

$72.2 NOK 680

38.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 NOK 87.6

$8.08 NOK 76.1

15.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 NOK 15.33

$1.70 NOK 15.96

-4.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.9 NOK 564

$56.8 NOK 535

5.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 23.16

$2.26 NOK 21.23

8.85%

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

$46.2K NOK 434.8K

$49.0K NOK 461.1K

-5.69%

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

$46.4K NOK 437.1K

$45.1K NOK 424.5K

2.96%

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

$275 NOK 2,587

$217 NOK 2,045

26.51%

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

$36.49 NOK 344

$31.89 NOK 300

14.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.4 NOK 795

$61.0 NOK 574

38.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.46 NOK 409

$48.67 NOK 458

-10.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.62 NOK 382

$36.18 NOK 341

12.27%

Cinema Ticket

$19.06 NOK 179

$15.80 NOK 149

20.63%

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

$306 NOK 2,880

$309 NOK 2,908

-0.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,484 NOK 42.2K

$2,680 NOK 25.2K

67.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 NOK 1,031

$115 NOK 1,084

-4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 NOK 476

$56.4 NOK 531

-10.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NOK 1,129

$118 NOK 1,110

1.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,510

$160 NOK 1,503

0.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 NOK 14.0K

$1,194 NOK 11.2K

24.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 NOK 10.7K

$1,009 NOK 9,499

12.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,243 NOK 21.1K

$1,889 NOK 17.8K

18.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 NOK 16.2K

$1,581 NOK 14.9K

8.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,405 NOK 60.3K

$4,916 NOK 46.3K

30.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,147 NOK 48.5K

$3,561 NOK 33.5K

44.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,388 NOK 41.3K

$4,258 NOK 40.1K

3.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

5.01

6.19%

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

Last update for Trondheim: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kristiansand: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Trondheim

$1.1K 39.4%

Kristiansand

$1K 37.6% 11.2% $127

Groceries & Markets

Trondheim

$517 17.9%

Kristiansand

$537 20% 4% $21

Eating Out

Trondheim

$417 14.5%

Kristiansand

$442 16.5% 6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trondheim

$396 13.7%

Kristiansand

$310 11.6% 21.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Trondheim

$198 6.9%

Kristiansand

$202 7.5% 2% $4

Getting Around

Trondheim

$137 4.8%

Kristiansand

$104 3.9% 24% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Trondheim

$82 2.8%

Kristiansand

$80 3% 1.6% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,484 in Trondheim and $1,194 in Kristiansand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trondheim pays 3% 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: $106 in Trondheim vs $85.0 in Kristiansand. Groceries flip the comparison at $517 vs $537, with Trondheim cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🇳🇴 Kristiansand

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

Same time as Trondheim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,121

117,213

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Trondheim Kristiansand 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Trondheim
Kristiansand

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 Kristiansand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kristiansand is cheaper overall, especially in transport, utilities, and leisure. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% 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: $1,484 in Trondheim versus $1,194 in Kristiansand. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Trondheim pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Kristiansand – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $106 in Trondheim. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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

Safety-wise, Trondheim and Kristiansand 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 Kristiansand gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Trondheim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.