Moving to Belarus from Norway

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Norway to Belarus — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Norway to Belarus, you would find that Belarus is 66.7% cheaper than Norway overall. A NOK710,000 salary in Norway would need to be roughly BYN75,600 in Belarus to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Belarusian and Russian.

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Is Belarus cheaper than Norway?

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 65.5% less

Groceries

pay 63.6% less

Transportation

pay 68.6% less

Housing

pay 76.7% less

Childcare

pay 53.8% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 71.6% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 NOK = 0.3199 BYN (October 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

What salary do you need in Belarus?

What does your salary buy?

NOK710,000 → BYN75,600

To maintain the same standard of living in Belarus

Calculate with your salary →

Get free moving quotes to Belarus

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Norway to Belarus, and how the trend has changed.

Living there in 2020
59 ↓ 3% vs 2015

people born in Norway live in Belarus · UN DESA

Who's moving to Belarus?

Top countries of origin for Belarus's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Norway and Belarus stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

NO
0.7
BY
2.4
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

NO
1.5
BY
7.4

Norway performs better than Belarus across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

NO
$9,523
BY
$2,194
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

NO
49.8
BY
47.2

Norway generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Belarus leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

NO
8.0
BY
68.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

NO
7.2t
BY
5.9t

Norway generally does better on environment, though Belarus leads in co₂ emissions per capita.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

NO
45.2
BY
36.3
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

NO
2.0%
BY
4.7%

Norway performs better than Belarus across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

NO
4.6%
BY
3.4%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

NO
$94,594
BY
$10,279

Belarus generally does better on employment & economy, though Norway leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

NO
83.2 yrs
BY
74.4 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

NO
2.0
BY
1.8

Norway generally does better on family life, though Belarus leads in infant mortality.

Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Norwegian Tax Administration (2017), Ministry for Taxes and Levies of the Republic of Belarus (2017). How we calculate this

Weather in Belarus vs Norway

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Oslo Rain: 30.0 in/yr (763 mm)
49° / 36°F

Avg. annual high / low

Minsk Rain: 26.7 in/yr (677 mm)
50° / 36°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Oslo Minsk
Jan–Mar 32°/22°F (0°/-6°C) 29°/18°F (-1°/-8°C)
Apr–Jun 59°/43°F (15°/6°C) 62°/44°F (17°/7°C)
Jul–Sep 66°/51°F (19°/10°C) 68°/51°F (20°/11°C)
Oct–Dec 39°/30°F (4°/-1°C) 39°/30°F (4°/-1°C)
View all months
Month Oslo Minsk
Jan 29°/20°F (-1.8°/-6.8°C) 24°/14°F (-4.2°/-9.8°C)
Feb 30°/20°F (-0.9°/-6.8°C) 28°/16°F (-2.5°/-8.9°C)
Mar 38°/26°F (3.5°/-3.3°C) 36°/23°F (2.4°/-4.8°C)
Apr 48°/33°F (9.1°/0.8°C) 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.8°C)
May 60°/44°F (15.8°/6.5°C) 65°/46°F (18.4°/7.6°C)
Jun 69°/51°F (20.4°/10.6°C) 70°/52°F (21.3°/11.1°C)
Jul 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.2°C) 72°/55°F (22.3°/12.6°C)
Aug 68°/52°F (20.1°/11.3°C) 71°/53°F (21.7°/11.7°C)
Sep 59°/46°F (15.1°/7.5°C) 62°/46°F (16.5°/7.8°C)
Oct 49°/39°F (9.3°/3.8°C) 50°/38°F (9.9°/3.3°C)
Nov 38°/29°F (3.2°/-1.5°C) 38°/30°F (3.1°/-1.3°C)
Dec 31°/22°F (-0.5°/-5.6°C) 29°/21°F (-1.5°/-6.2°C)

Data: Norwegian Meteorological Institute Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Republican center for hydrometeorology, control of radioactive contamination and enviromental monitoring Republican center for hydrometeorology, control of radioactive contamination and enviromental monitoring

Can you move from Norway to Belarus?

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Norway and Belarus. To live, work, or study long-term in Belarus, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Belarus's immigration authority.

Norway passport

Norway passport holder visiting Belarus

Visa Free
Norway passport holders can enter Belarus without a visa.
Belarus passport

Belarus passport holder visiting Norway

Visa Required
Belarus passport holders need a visa to enter Norway.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Belarus than Norway?

Generally yes: Belarus runs about 67% cheaper than Norway on average, though it depends heavily on the city.

How much money do I need to move to Belarus?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a NOK710,000 comparable salary, that's around BYN18,900 in Belarus for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Belarus?

With 36.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Belarus can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Norway and Belarus.

Is Belarus safe for expats?

Norway performs better than Belarus across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Belarus is 2.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.7 in Norway.

How is healthcare in Belarus compared to Norway?

Norway generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Belarus leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 47.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Belarus, compared to 49.8 in Norway. Belarus scores 79 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Norway: 87).

What's the weather like in Belarus compared to Norway?

The average high temperature in Minsk is 50°F, compared to 49°F in Oslo. Minsk receives around 26.7 in of rainfall per year, while Oslo gets 30.0 in.

What language do they speak in Belarus?

The official languages in Belarus are Belarusian and Russian. In Norway, the official languages are Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami.

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At a Glance

NO BY
Population 5,610,870 9,085,991
Currency Norwegian Krone (NOK) New Belarusian Ruble (BYN)
Languages Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Sami Belarusian, Russian
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +47 +375
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112