Moving to New York from Norway

moving to

What to Expect

Considering a move from Norway to New York? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.

If you moved from Norway to New York, you would find that New York is 50.0% more expensive than Norway overall. A NOK738,075 salary in Norway would need to be roughly $75,246 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Norway and New York.

What does your salary buy?

NOK738,075 $75,246

To maintain the same standard of living in New York

Calculate with your salary →

How key spending categories compare

Restaurants

pay 20.1% less

Groceries

pay 17.9% more

Transportation

pay 12.2% less

Housing

pay 34.7% more

Childcare

pay 4.6 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 4.6% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 NOK = 0.1016 USD (July 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.

Cost of living by city

Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).

On average, cities in New York cost about 11% more than cities in Norway.

Norway

Oslo 73%
Haugesund 64%

New York

Queens 73%
Ithaca 62%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

What the data shows about people moving from Norway to New York.

Moved in 2023
360 ↑ 22% vs 2022

people moved from Norway to United States · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to United States?

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

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

The numbers behind daily life in New York compared to Norway.

How's the healthcare?

Adult obesity rate The World Factbook, 2022

share of adults with obesity

NO
23.1%
NY
29.9%

Norway performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access The World Factbook, 2023

share of households with internet

NO
99.0%
NY
89.7%

Norway performs better than New York across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

NO
3.6%
NY
4.4%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

NO
$90,500
NY
$91,992

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

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

NO
82.5 yrs
NY
77.7 yrs

Norway performs better than New York across all family life metrics.

Data: The World Factbook

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

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

Avg. annual high / low

Albany Rain: 39.4 in/yr (1000 mm)
58° / 39°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Oslo Albany
Jan–Mar 32°/22°F (0°/-6°C) 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C)
Apr–Jun 59°/43°F (15°/6°C) 68°/47°F (20°/8°C)
Jul–Sep 66°/51°F (19°/10°C) 78°/58°F (26°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 39°/30°F (4°/-1°C) 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C)
View all months
Month Oslo Albany
Jan 29°/20°F (-1.8°/-6.8°C) 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C)
Feb 30°/20°F (-0.9°/-6.8°C) 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C)
Mar 38°/26°F (3.5°/-3.3°C) 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C)
Apr 48°/33°F (9.1°/0.8°C) 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C)
May 60°/44°F (15.8°/6.5°C) 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C)
Jun 69°/51°F (20.4°/10.6°C) 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C)
Jul 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.2°C) 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C)
Aug 68°/52°F (20.1°/11.3°C) 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C)
Sep 59°/46°F (15.1°/7.5°C) 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C)
Oct 49°/39°F (9.3°/3.8°C) 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C)
Nov 38°/29°F (3.2°/-1.5°C) 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C)
Dec 31°/22°F (-0.5°/-5.6°C) 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C)

Data: Norwegian Meteorological Institute Norwegian Meteorological Institute, National Weather Service National Weather Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

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

Norway passport

Norway passport holder visiting United States

Electronic Travel Authorisation
Norway passport holders need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to enter United States.
United States passport

United States passport holder visiting Norway

Visa Free
United States passport holders can enter Norway without a visa.

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 New York than Norway?

New York and Norway are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.

How much money do I need to move to New York?

Budget about $18,812 for 3 months in New York (based on a NOK738,075 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from New York?

From major New York cities the network usually holds up. Visa rules, your employer's stance on overseas employees, and tax residency in Norway and New York are what actually decide it long-term.

How is healthcare in New York compared to Norway?

Norway performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in New York compared to Norway?

The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 49°F in Oslo. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Oslo gets 30.0 in.

What language do they speak in New York?

The official language in New York is English. In Norway, the official languages are Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami.

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At a Glance

NO
Population 5,553,840 19,378,102
Currency Norwegian Krone (NOK) United States Dollar ($)
Languages Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Sami English
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +47 +1
Time zones 1 11
Emergency number 112 911