Moving to New York from Norway
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 8.3% more expensive than Norway overall. A NOK720,000 salary in Norway would need to be roughly $81,600 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
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A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Norway and New York.
What does your salary buy?
NOK720,000 → $81,600
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 17.0% less
Groceries
pay 3.3% less
Transportation
pay 27.9% less
Housing
pay 39.0% more
Childcare
pay 4.6 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.1% less
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 6% more than cities in Norway.
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.
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.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
133.18,055
Norway
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in New York compared to Norway.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Norway performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Norway performs better than New York across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Norway generally does better on employment & economy, though New York leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Norway performs better than New York across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), World Health Organization (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
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,
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 holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting Norway
Visa FreeData: 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?
On average New York is around 8% pricier than Norway, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to New York?
Budget about $20,400 for 3 months in New York (based on a NOK720,000 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.
