Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Norway Cost of Living Summary
United States is 32.4% more expensive than Norway overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 20.0% less in United States
- Groceries
- pay 8.6% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 25.5% less in United States
- Housing
- pay 29.2% more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 3.8 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 17.4% less in United States
- Clothing
- pay 23.6% less in United States
United States vs. Norway Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Norway, you would:
pay 20.0% less for restaurants
Norway | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $22.47 NOK223.14 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $14.28 NOK141.76 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.22 NOK31.99 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.63 NOK26.14 | $2.00 | |
Norway vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.6% more for groceries
Norway | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.23 NOK32.06 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.77 NOK57.32 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $8.36 NOK83.02 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.26 NOK42.27 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.39 NOK63.46 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.50 NOK14.88 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.10 NOK10.91 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.42 NOK14.12 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.97 NOK19.53 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.02 NOK10.12 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.13 NOK11.24 | $1.38 | |
Norway vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 25.5% less for transportation
Norway | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $8.05 NOK79.90 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $73.58 NOK730.56 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $33,882.51 NOK336K | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $24.92 NOK247.47 | $17.61 | |
Norway vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 29.2% more for housing
Norway | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $51.89 NOK515.26 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,147.37 NOK11,392.36 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $929.65 NOK9,230.63 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $173.28 NOK1,720.51 | $150.19 | |
Norway vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 3.8 times more for childcare
Norway | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $279.02 NOK2,770.46 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $9,157.91 NOK90,929.94 | $23,196.46 | |
Norway vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 17.4% less for entertainment and sports
Norway | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $9.73 NOK96.63 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.10 NOK50.68 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $15.59 NOK154.76 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $50.34 NOK499.81 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $15.82 NOK157.10 | $13.64 | |
Norway vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.6% less for clothing
Norway | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $95.05 NOK943.81 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $45.59 NOK452.63 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $105.49 NOK1,047.42 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $145.24 NOK1,442.14 | $112.04 | |
Norway vs. United States - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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