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TRONDHEIM

Moving to Norway: How much money do I need to live in Trondheim? 

Trondheim, in the heart of central Norway, is a popular place for foreign residents to call home. But how much money will you need to live comfortably there? The Local has crunched the numbers.

Published: 10 October 2022 13:51 CEST
Updated: 22 November 2023 10:54 CET
Pictured is Trondheim.
Want to call Trondheim home but don't know how much money you will need? The Local has broken down the key costs. Pictured is Trondheim.

Lying in the heart of Norway is Trondheim, Norway’s third biggest city. The city is often billed as Norway’s tech capital, with many moving there to work within the sector or study at NTNU- Norway’s leading natural sciences and technology university. 

The greater Trondheim region is home to around 800 tech companies, meaning there are ample job opportunities to pursue if you are considering a move there. 

So, how much money will you need to call the city home? 

Accommodation: 5,600- 13,900 kroner per month

Renting in Trondheim is considerably cheaper than in Oslo and roughly on par with Norway’s second-largest city, Bergen. 

The cost of renting a small one-room property in Trondheim is about 9,300 kroner when using figures from the rental agency Hybel. When using figures from a different rental agency, Utleiemegleren, the average monthly cost of renting in Trondheim is 13,800 kroner. This figure takes into account larger properties with more rooms. 

According to Hybel, a three-room place will set tenants back 14,673 kroner per month. 

A room is significantly cheaper, with the average being just over 5,600 kroner each month.

Utilities: 500- 1,200 kroner

This can be hard to set a definite price on, given that energy prices in Norway can fluctuate between seasons.  Luckily, however, energy prices in central Norway are typically cheaper than in the south. 

When using a comparison site for a house with annual consumption ranging from 16,000 kWh (average for a detached house) energy bills start at around 321 kroner per month. If the consumption was higher at 25,000 kWh bills would rise to 560 kroner monthly. 

Another utility to consider in Norway would be the internet bill, with prices beginning at around 400 kroner per month. 

Food: 4,270 kroner

Consumption Research Norway (SIFO) estimates that the average cost of food for someone aged between 31- 50 was up to 4,270 kroner per month.

Eurostat, which monitors price levels across the EU, EEA and EU candidate countries, has ranked Norway with the second highest price level index for food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Only Switzerland had a higher price level index than the countries monitored by the stats agency. A price level index measures the price levels of a given nation relative to other countries. This means that compared to the rest of the other countries measured, food and non-alcoholic beverages in Norway are the second most expensive overall.

READ MORE: Five essential tips for saving money on food shopping in Norway

Transport: up to 920 kroner (monthly transport ticket) 

Public transport firm AtB (literally A to B) runs public transport in Norway’s third largest city. A monthly ticket on Trondheim’s metro buses and tramline will cost you 890 kroner, or less if you are a student. 

If you don’t require public transport daily, you can buy a single ticket which costs 43 kroner, or a daily ticket which costs 126 kroner. Using public transport in Trondheim is slightly more expensive than in Oslo and Bergen. A weekly ticket costs 301 kroner. A monthly ticket is very costly at 920 kroner.  

The city also has a decent cycle-lane network which could prove a more cost-effective option in the long term. 

Childcare: 2,927 kroner

Roughly 90 percent of children living in Norway attend a kindergarten. The maximum price for a kindergarten spot in Norway is 3,050 kroner per month. This applies to both municipal and private kindergartens. 

But, if the cost exceeds 6 percent of total household income, you can pay a reduced price. This price applies to both municipal and private kindergartens. There are also discounts for those with more than one child. 

Our figure includes the average cost in Trondheim, including additional fees, not just the price of a place at a kindergarten.

READ MORE: Everything parents in Norway need to know about preschool

It’s unlikely that you’ll want to be sat all week indoors after moving to a new city, so you’ll obviously want to know how much you can expect to shell out for one of the country’s infamously expansive beers while out:

Beer: 99-125 kroner 

A glass of wine: 105-115 kroner

Cocktail: 120-140 kroner

Coffee: 44 kroner 

Cinema: 140- 180 kroner 

Meal for two at a mid-range restaurant: 700-900 kroner

A cinnamon bun or hot dog: 45-65 kroner

Gym membership: 450-750 kroner

Member comments

  1. These costs are remarkably similar to Fresno, California. Fresno is a “working class” city without a high cost of living. There are some fairly expensive homes in Fresno, but they are an exception. The cost of living exceptions include a much higher utility cost in Fresno ($375 to $600 per month or around 4125- 6600 NOK) and gasoline ($4.50 a gallon / 490 NOK per gallon, or around 123 NOK per liter)

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MONEY

EXPLAINED: How wealthy is the ‘average’ Norwegian? 

Norway is known for its high wages and stable economy. New figures have revealed the wealth of the average resident in the Nordic country. 

Published: 23 April 2024 15:50 CEST
Updated: 1 May 2024 11:37 CEST
EXPLAINED: How wealthy is the 'average' Norwegian? 

High salaries go hand in hand with the high cost of living in conversations about Norway.

However, other factors, such as high homeownership rates, indicate that there is plenty of disposable income for locals to save and invest in their futures. 

Previous studies have also suggested that Norwegians are the seventh wealthiest nationals in the world. 

Norway’s national data agency, Statistics Norway, has compiled its own set of figures indicating that the average Norwegian household has a net wealth of around 3.8 million kroner. 

Net wealth accounts for everything a person owns, including property, stocks, or cash, minus any debts or liabilities. 

The vast majority of this wealth was derived from the estimated value of property. This alone gives the average Norwegian an estimated wealth of 3.74 million kroner. 

READ ALSO: How much does an apartment in Norway cost?

The value of second homes was included, which skewed things as only around 10 percent of households owned a secondary residence. 

The average price of a home in Norway was 4.5 million kroner in March of this year, and house prices have increased substantially in recent years. 

Savings, cash, stocks and other capital accounted for 1.72 million kroner, giving Norwegians an average wealth of 5.46 million kroner. Average debts of 1.68 million kroner gave Norwegians an average net wealth of 3.8 million kroner.  

The figures from Statistics Norway were obtained using figures from tax returns for 2022, which were submitted in 2023.  

Those aged between 67 and 79 years old were the wealthiest generation in Norway on average. This is partly because they have more capital than most other groups and more expensive property. 

However, the most significant factor is the lower levels of debt. They had half the debt of the next richest group, those aged between 55 and 69. 

Younger age groups weren’t as wealthier as they had much higher debts and lower capital. 

Still, Norway’s wealthiest individuals significantly boosted the average. When using the median, the average Norwegian household had a net wealth of just under 2 million kroner. 

When the median was applied to capital, the figure was 339,300 kroner compared to the average of 1.76 million kroner. 

The large difference in capital was attributed to Norway’s wealthiest individuals significantly pulling up the average. 

“This is mainly due to large fortunes in shares and securities, where a few own very much. Shares and other securities and share savings accounts are assets with a median value equal to zero, which indicates that these are not important asset items for most households,” the report said. 

Money kept in the bank was still important for most residents of Norway, though. The median value of bank deposits in Norway was 215,000 kroner, compared to the average of 600,000. 

The gulf between the average value of property owned and the median was roughly 500,000, with the median being 3.25 million kroner. 

Furthermore, Norway’s median debt level was around 860,000 kroner compared to the average of 1.67 million kroner. Around 85 percent of Norwegian households were in some form of debt. 

Significant differences also exist between Norway’s wealthiest and poorest residents. Residents belonging to the country’s poorest ten percent had an average net wealth of almost minus 1 million kroner. 

Meanwhile, Norway’s wealthiest ten percent had a net wealth of 19 million kroner. The top 50 percent also owned considerably more than the bottom 50 percent. 

“Despite the former comprising 1.27 million households, while the latter comprises approximately 25,000 households, the bottom 50 percent own only 4 percent of the total net worth, while the top 1 percent owned as much as 22.3 percent in 2022,” the report read. 

There was also significant variation in wealth depending on household type. For example, a single mother or father with a child aged between 6 and 17 had a net wealth of 2.24 million kroner, compared to a couple with children of the same age with an average net wealth of 5.12 million kroner. 

Typically, households with more than one person had more money as more than one wage earner likely lived at the address. 

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