Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utrecht and Drammen

For one person, living is cheaper in Drammen: $2,736 a month against $2,987 in Utrecht, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Utrecht outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

142

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
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Utrecht Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Drammen
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Drammen Living Index

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Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,987

/mo nomad

Drammen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Utrecht and in Drammen

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

A single person spends $2,987 per month in Utrecht vs $2,736 in Drammen, rent included.

Utrecht $2,987
Drammen $2,736

A couple spends around $4,205 per month in Utrecht vs $4,119 in Drammen, rent included.

Utrecht $4,205
Drammen $4,119

A family of three spends $5,423 per month in Utrecht vs $5,503 in Drammen, rent included.

Utrecht $5,423
Drammen $5,503

Utrecht costs about 9% more than Drammen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Utrecht and Drammen sit above the global median – Utrecht by 120%, Drammen by 101%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.74 €20.42

$21.43 NOK 199

6.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 €75.5

$126 NOK 1,175

-33.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.17

$11.08 NOK 103

22.29%

Cappuccino

$4.78 €4.30

$5.34 NOK 49.58

-10.49%

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

$3.84 €3.45

$4.10 NOK 38.12

-6.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.04

$2.04 NOK 19.00

66.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.92

$11.76 NOK 109

-43.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 €6.43

$6.96 NOK 64.7

2.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.63 NOK 24.41

-42.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 €2.68

$4.37 NOK 40.63

-31.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$4.90 NOK 45.48

-48.16%

Eggs

$4.68 €4.20

$4.85 NOK 45.04

-3.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 €12.00

$14.17 NOK 132

-5.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.92 €12.50

$15.76 NOK 146

-11.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.68 €16.78

$31.63 NOK 294

-40.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.46

$3.37 NOK 31.33

-18.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$2.79 NOK 25.89

-13.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.87

$3.58 NOK 33.28

-41.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.40

$5.85 NOK 54.4

-35.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.74 NOK 25.50

-36.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.69

$2.95 NOK 27.38

-36.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.43

$3.11 NOK 28.94

-48.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.24

$2.52 NOK 23.40

-45.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.42 €12.96

$17.36 NOK 161

-16.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.12

$16.22 NOK 151

-57.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.22

$3.63 NOK 33.74

-62.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.40

$4.35 NOK 40.44

-38.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 €3.19

$3.48 NOK 32.33

2.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 €119

$97.1 NOK 902

36.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.35

$12.27 NOK 114

-69.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.45

$1.91 NOK 17.73

42.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.56 €40.92

$72.4 NOK 673

-37.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.34 NOK 21.73

10.68%

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

$41.0K €36.9K

$46.7K NOK 434.2K

-12.22%

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

$40.1K €36.0K

$45.3K NOK 420.4K

-11.39%

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

$245 €220

$273 NOK 2,532

-10.10%

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

$21.75 €19.54

$34.51 NOK 321

-36.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.16 €43.26

$54.6 NOK 507

-11.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.74

$82.2 NOK 763

-46.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.25 €28.07

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 €13.53

$18.13 NOK 168

-16.93%

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

$3,274 €2,941

$241 NOK 2,238

1258.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,994 €7,181

$16.2K NOK 150.5K

-50.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.1 €83.7

$101 NOK 940

-7.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 €46.25

$62.3 NOK 578

-17.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$135 NOK 1,254

-24.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$153 NOK 1,419

-17.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 €1,747

$1,363 NOK 12.7K

42.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 €1,400

$1,036 NOK 9,620

50.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,128 €2,810

$2,106 NOK 19.6K

48.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,229 €2,002

$1,591 NOK 14.8K

40.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,109 €6,386

$10.8K NOK 100.5K

-34.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,381

$6,542 NOK 60.8K

-25.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,245 €3,813

$3,742 NOK 34.8K

13.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

4.54

-28.85%

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

Last update for Utrecht: October 26, 2026

Last update for Drammen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Utrecht

$1.6K 52.2%

Drammen

$1K 37.9% 33.5% $523

Eating Out

Utrecht

$356 11.9%

Drammen

$366 13.4% 2.8% $9.9

Groceries & Markets

Utrecht

$352 11.8%

Drammen

$518 19% 47.1% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Utrecht

$315 10.5%

Drammen

$362 13.2% 14.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Utrecht

$168 5.6%

Drammen

$203 7.4% 21% $35

Getting Around

Utrecht

$164 5.5%

Drammen

$133 4.9% 18.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Utrecht

$74 2.5%

Drammen

$118 4.3% 59.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,945 in Utrecht versus $1,363 in Drammen. 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 13% higher in Utrecht. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Utrecht versus $126 in Drammen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $518 – making Utrecht the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🇳🇴 Drammen

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

Same time as Utrecht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

367,947

104,625

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Utrecht Drammen 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Utrecht
Drammen

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

Utrecht vs Drammen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,987 in Utrecht, $2,736 in Drammen – Drammen comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,481 per month in Utrecht and $4,104 in Drammen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Drammen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,363 there versus $1,945 in Utrecht.

Kindergarten costs $3,274 per month in Utrecht and $241 in Drammen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Utrecht – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Families tend to lean toward Drammen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Drammen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Utrecht makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.