Moving to Norway from Spain
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Spain to Norway — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Spain to Norway, you would find that Norway is 51.3% more expensive than Spain overall. A €67,000 salary in Spain would need to be roughly NOK1,070,000 in Norway to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Oslo averages 49°F vs 68°F in Madrid, making it significantly cooler.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Norway cheaper than Spain?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 45.3% more
Groceries
pay 59.0% more
Transportation
pay 57.8% more
Housing
pay 52.5% more
Childcare
pay 24.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.0 times more
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 Norway?
What does your salary buy?
€67,000 → NOK1,070,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Norway
Calculate with your salary →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 Norway cost about 26% more than cities in Spain.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to Norway
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Spain to Norway, based on official data.
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Spain to Norway.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Spain generally does better on safety, though Norway leads in road traffic deaths.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Spain generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Norway leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Spain generally does better on environment, though Norway leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Norway performs significantly better than Spain across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Norway performs significantly better than Spain across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
Norway generally does better on family life, though Spain leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Agencia Tributaria, Spain (2016), Norwegian Tax Administration (2017). How we calculate this
Weather in Norway vs Spain
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Madrid | Oslo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 55°/40°F (13°/4°C) | 32°/22°F (0°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 59°/43°F (15°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/64°F (30°/18°C) | 66°/51°F (19°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/44°F (14°/7°C) | 39°/30°F (4°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Madrid | Oslo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50°/37°F (9.8°/2.7°C) | 29°/20°F (-1.8°/-6.8°C) |
| Feb | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.7°C) | 30°/20°F (-0.9°/-6.8°C) |
| Mar | 61°/43°F (16.3°/6.2°C) | 38°/26°F (3.5°/-3.3°C) |
| Apr | 65°/46°F (18.2°/7.7°C) | 48°/33°F (9.1°/0.8°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.2°/11.3°C) | 60°/44°F (15.8°/6.5°C) |
| Jun | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.1°C) | 69°/51°F (20.4°/10.6°C) |
| Jul | 90°/66°F (32.1°/19.0°C) | 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.2°C) |
| Aug | 88°/66°F (31.3°/18.8°C) | 68°/52°F (20.1°/11.3°C) |
| Sep | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.4°C) | 59°/46°F (15.1°/7.5°C) |
| Oct | 67°/51°F (19.4°/10.7°C) | 49°/39°F (9.3°/3.8°C) |
| Nov | 56°/43°F (13.5°/6.2°C) | 38°/29°F (3.2°/-1.5°C) |
| Dec | 50°/38°F (10.0°/3.6°C) | 31°/22°F (-0.5°/-5.6°C) |
Data:
Agencia Estatal de Meteorología,
Norwegian Meteorological Institute
Can you move from Spain to Norway?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Spain and Norway. To live, work, or study long-term in Norway, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Norway's immigration authority.
Spain passport holder visiting Norway
Visa Free
Norway passport holder visiting Spain
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 Norway than Spain?
No — Norway is on average about 51% more expensive than Spain. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Norway?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly NOK267,500 in Norway on a €67,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Norway?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Norway safe for expats?
Spain generally does better on safety, though Norway leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Norway is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.7 in Spain.
How is healthcare in Norway compared to Spain?
Spain generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Norway leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Norway, compared to 42.9 in Spain. Norway scores 87 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Spain: 85).
What's the weather like in Norway compared to Spain?
The average high temperature in Oslo is 49°F, compared to 68°F in Madrid. Oslo receives around 30.0 in of rainfall per year, while Madrid gets 16.6 in.
What language do they speak in Norway?
The official languages in Norway are Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami. In Spain, the official languages are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish.
