Norway Cost of Living in 2023 (Oslo, Bergen etc)

Norway is one of the best countries in the world to live in, but it definitely is not one of the cheapest. What’s the actual cost of living in Norway? This is what I am going share with you in today’s article!

We’re going to look at the general picture when it comes to costs of living in Norway – so expect the amount shared today to be average for all cities here, valid for Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen and so on.

Of course, prices will vary a bit but overall they’ll be pretty much the same maybe except for the rent.

And if you don’t want to go through the entire article to read about the big picture (which I think you should), here is the summary:

The cost of living in Norway, for a single person, is around €2,500 per month. A couple would end up spending less per person, at around €1,700 per month. Of course, a person’s own spending habits can influence this (usually upwards).

Even though in most countries, the cost of living is lower the farther away you are from the big cities, in Norway it’s not really that much of a difference.

Sure, living in Oslo is more expensive than living in Flekkefjord, but even so the differences are not huge so expect to pay similar amounts throughout the country. Rent is the only exception here – larger cities come with higher rent prices.

I know that there are many aggregators out there claiming to share the cost of living in Norway, but I believe that a bit of personal touch always does better at estimating the monthly costs in a country.

And that’s exactly what I will do: I will use my own experience and living expenses calculations to estimate how much you should expect to pay for living an average life here.

So not anything extreme on either side: the costs for a regular, normal life. Not extremely frugal, but not luxury living either.

Have in mind that your actual cost of living in Norway will be influenced a lot by some factors: if you’re single or a couple (and/or if you have children) or if you’re a student.

I will try to touch all bases in today’s article in order to help everybody estimate how much they’re likely going to spend in Norway, but I have in mind that my own experience is based on living together with my partner in a large city here (without owning a car).

In order to make this article as complete as possible, I will start by sharing the costs for the main expenses that you will have (accommodation, food, utilities and entertainment) and then round things up for a total amount that you’ll most likely spend here.

So if you don’t want to look at the estimated costs per each category, scroll down to the end to see my monthly estimated budget!

Also, I will share all costs in Euros and not NOK, Norway’s currency, in order to make it easier to follow by those who are not living in the country already.

Norway: Accommodation Costs

These will probably be your highest costs, no matter where you go. Larger cities have higher prices, while smaller towns can offer some surprisingly low rental options.

But generally speaking, Norway is not a cheap place when it comes to accommodation costs and the prices keep going up a lot year after year. So rent is pretty expensive indeed.

Fortunately, even though you will usually pay a lot on rent, the quality of the apartment will usually be really high.

Also, co-living (sharing an apartment) is very common here, so you could consider that as well for reducing costs if your situation allows it.

With these in mind, here are the amounts you should expect to pay monthly for rent in Norway:

• for a shared room in an apartment/building: around 550 Euros
• for a 1-bedroom apartment: anything between 1,150 – 1,400 Euros
• for a 2-bedroom apartment: between 1,500 – 1,800 Euros

Generally speaking, Oslo has the highest cost of rent in Norway, so expect to pay some 50 to 100 Euros more here than in other cities.

Norway: Cost of Utilities

Utilities are, like most things here, pretty expensive. Fortunately, some owners already include these costs (or at least some of them do – usually heating and water) in the monthly rental costs.

Make sure to ask before renting, because knowing if you have these costs included in the rent is really important, as it can have a big impact over your monthly living expenses.

If you are to pay for everything, you will do so based on the amount you use – so it’s difficult to actually estimate how much water, electricity or heating you will end up using.

But I am basing my estimates on personal experience and an average living style.

With these in mind, expect to pay the following amount on utilities (if they are not already included in the rent):

• between 135 – 250 Euros per month, mostly influenced by the size of your home

Sim Card Plan: Around 40 Euros / Month (includes around 20GB of internet, unlimited calls and texts)

Internet: Around 50 Euros per month for a decent, 100 Mbps connection.

Norway: Food Costs

These costs are the most difficult to estimate, in my opinion. Food is expensive in Norway, but eating out is even more so.

Plus, food has been affected by inflation the most in Norway in my opinion. But at least the salaries in Norway kept up with inflation, so you won’t really feel the increase.

This means that if you cook your food at home you will pay a lot less than if you constantly eat out. So depending on your eating habits, your allocated budget for food in Norway will vary.

With these in mind, here are some of the prices you should expect to pay for food in Norway:

1 Liter of milk – 2.2 Eur
1 Loaf of bread – 2.3 Eur
12 eggs – 4.6 Eur
Local Cheese (1kg) – 14 Euros (although prices vary a lot)
Chicken breasts (1kg) – 11 Euros

Potatoes (1kg): 1.9 Eur
Tomatoes (1kg): 2.7 Eur
Apples (1kg): 2.7 Eur
Bananas (1kg): 2.5 Eur
Oranges (1kg): 2.5 Eur

Bottled water (1.5 liters): 2.1 Eur
Beer (store-brought): 2.7 Eur
Wine (store-brought): 12 Eur (prices vary a lot here as well)

Restaurant prices in Norway

Meal for 2 in regular restaurant, with a drink included: 35 – 45 Euros

Meal for 2 in a better restaurant, with drinks included: 90 Euros

Beer in a restaurant: 8 Euros

Bottle of juice: 3 Euros

Cappuccino or Latte: 4.1 Euros

As I said, it’s difficult to estimate the actual monthly costs. But I have to – because this is the point of this article. I will consider that you won’t always eat out, but will go out at least once or maybe twice a week.

This means that you should expect to pay anything between 450 – 500 Euros per month for food in Norway.

Norway: Other Expenses

All the expenses listed above can be considered basic expenses, but there are still other things that you will spend money on, from entertainment to buying clothes, buying things for your home, health-related costs and transportation-related expenses.

These can also add up, but you can adjust them based on your needs in most cases.

And while it’s really difficult to estimate what you’ll be spending in these areas, here are some of the more common expenses:

• 1 ticket for public transportation: 3.5 Euros
• monthly public transport pass: 70 Euros
• Gasoline: 1.9 Eur / liter
• Movie ticket: 10 Eur
• Gym Membership (1 month): 45 Euros

Do you need a car when living in Norway?

Owning a car is not really a necessity in Norway. It gives you added advantages, as the weather is pretty cold, but unless you have to commute to work, you can do well without a car in Norway.

Even if you have to commute, you will have trains and buses to choose from, so the car isn’t a must.

During our stay here, we didn’t own a car and did everything using public transportation, biking and walking. It was a pleasant experience and even though a car does bring some comfort, we never really missed one.

All cities and towns here in Norway are very pedestrian-friendly and the public transportation network works like a charm.

Plus, you can also ride bikes here, but have in mind that it’s pretty chilly and during the colder months (which are more than the other way around) it will be really difficult to ride your bike.

Estimated monthly costs in Norway

The cost of living in Norway will vary a bit from person to person, based on their habits and expectations. If you like to eat out and party a lot, the expenses can skyrocket pretty fast.

Having in mind that a beer here can cost as much as 10 Euros a bottle, and eating out is equally expensive, the more you will do it, the higher the cost of living will be.

I am basing my calculations and estimates below for a monthly budget for one person living a simple life, but without missing any important stuff. So you’ll live in a good house (not shared) in a good area and even go out 3-4 times a month.

Consider my recommended amount below (or cost of living estimation – whatever you want to call it) closer to the minimum amount required to live a decent life here in Norway – the more you have for it, the better

Rent & Utilities (internet & TV included): 1,500 Euros / month
Food & Eating out: 500 Euros / month
Other expenses: 500 Euros / month
____________________
TOTAL: 2,500 Euros / month

I think that most people living in Norway could live a comfortable life on this budget.

You might even be able to live on less – although having close to 2,500 Euros / month would probably give you more room to play and eat better.

Also, have in mind that I have considered you living alone, in your own place. If you have nothing against sharing an apartment with another person, you could cut anything between 500 to 1,000 Euros off your monthly bills from the reduced rent alone.

So for couples, I would say that the average living cost in Norway drops to around 1,700 Euros/per month (per person), maybe even lower if you cook at home most of the time.

I have to repeat: these costs and the monthly budget shared for one or two persons above can be considered close to the minimum.

While not at the bottom, based on my own experience, it doesn’t really offer you a lot to play with. But you will live a decent, although a bit modest life!

Things could change a bit more if you have a kid or more. While I don’t have a personal experience to relate to here, I would anticipate that the costs would increased greatly, because of the added costs from:

1 – the rent (you will probably need more rooms), so at least a few hundred Euros extra will be spent here
2 – the food (although costs here won’t increase by a ton, you would still pay 100-200 Euros more)
3 – education, as tuition fees vary from a few hundred Euros per month to a couple thousand. Plus, you would have other activities and costs to cover.

Conclusion

While Norway is definitely not one of the cheapest places to live in – no matter if you compare it with the rest of Europe or the rest of the world – the truth is that the standard of living is actually high and salaries are up there to help people afford these seemingly insane prices.

I would say that even though costs are still increasing (with the accommodation costs exploding), the increase has slowed down in the past couple of years and I don’t think that things will become much more expensive in the future.

So if you come here with the prospect of being hired – or you already have a job lined up – it will most likely cover your living expenses and allow you to live a decent life here.

Remember that there is no minimum salary in Norway (at least not set by law), the earnings here are more than decent, so you should expect to be paid at least 200 NOK (20 Eur) per hour in most cases, unless you do unskilled work.

This means that even if you’re not scoring a top paying job in Norway, you’re still going to afford the monthly budget I have estimated above.

So yes, even though things might seem expensive at first, when you look at your potential earnings, you realize that things are not that bad.

Over to you now: do you have any comments to make regarding the costs and estimations here? Maybe extra questions to ask about today’s topic? If you do, don’t hesitate to let us all know by commenting below!

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