Bergen living costs 2017/2018

Today’s post is an update of a past post on cost of living. It strives to give you an idea of what you might expect to spend on daily expenses in Bergen/Norway. Keep in mind, these are just rough ideas of different common costs, you may have to think through other expenses – such as if you’re bringing clothes, bedding, and other household items or if you’ll have to buy them here.

 

Sadly, Norway is not a cheap place to live. Image: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/21/map-expensive-countries_n_6510018.html

 

---

The University of Bergen (UiB) offers a page that details the cost of living, that helps give an idea of expenses. While Norway does have a high cost of living, the UiB page estimates NOK 10 400 per month (2016) would cover most expenses including books, study materials, food, housing, clothing, transport and social activities on a student budget.

 

Let’s talk about your penger (money). Image: http://inspiringtravellers.com/expensive-norway/

 

 

The UiB page also offers examples of Norwegian prices, to which I’ve made a few additions:

Monthly Expenses

• • Monthly rent at Fantoft for a single student room: between NOK 2715-3175  (and some options as low as NOK 2045-2835) for an individual (including electricity and internet)/month. Prices may range lower or higher for Sammen (formerly SiB) student housing depending on the unit. (Prices may increase each August)
  • Student seasonal transit pass for 1 month (Skyss): NOK 485/per month (students under 32), NOK 810/per month (students over 32) for 1-2 zone travel (Bergen zone).
  • Groceries NOK 300-400 per week, NOK 1500 – 2000/mo. Read more about grocery shopping in Norway here, or here.

 

Image: http://www.benjaminfoods.com/products/groceries/

 

Occasional Expenses

• • Textbooks (1 semester): approx. NOK 1,600–3,500 (from UiB’s 2016 information). Check out this blog for ideas on how to seek out cheaper textbooks.
  • Dinner at the student cafeteria: the UiB page estimated NOK 55-100 for 2016
  • Dinner at an inexpensive restaurant: UiB estimated NOK 120-160 in 2016 (Keep in mind, it costs extra to eat at the restaurant rather than take food to go). I personally think those prices are more descriptive of fast take-out food, and dinner in a restaurant, even an inexpensive one, is more likely to be NOK 170, give or take. A fast food-type restaurant, however might have options for as low as NOK 70-100 (I recommend Tre Kroner (pictured below), Nirvana Kebab, Pasty World and Gresk Pai in the Sentrum.

 

Trekroneren (The 3 kroner… or crowns), the most famous hot dog joint in Bergen. Sorry, it will not cost you 3 kroners. Image: http://www.travelramblr.com/norway/eating-in-bergen.html

 

• • Ingredients for making an inexpensive dinner for one person at home: approx. NOK 30–60 (UiB 2010/2011 estimate).
  • Cinema ticket: NOK ~120-160 (remember you can also potentially win cinema tickets from Student Bergen!)
  • Semester fee: NOK 590
  • Student membership at Sammen training (the gym): NOK 1100

 

Image: http://www.bergenbyarkiv.no/bergenbyleksikon/arkiv/1425003

 

Some possible expenses that the UiB page didn’t address include:

• • Wine and Beer at a bar (remember, with restaurants and bars, tips are not large and generally not expected): average around NOK 70-120 per drink (sometimes there are cheap options ranging from NOK 35-60)
  • Beer in Vinmonopolet (the wine/beer/liquor store): 40-120 per bottle
  • Concerts: NOK 50-600

 

Reggie Watts concert at Nattjazz, Photo: Stand Hiestand

 

• Cell phone, either prepaid (from 0,99 per minute for calls (Telenor), NOK 10 per MB data (max per day is also NOK 10), 0,69 per SMS) or subscription (NOK 249-799/mo). For more mobile phone information, check out this post.
• Haircut: starting at ~ NOK 200 (men), 300 (women). Click here for more information about haircuts.

 

‘Sometimes a really good cappuccino is worth the 40 kroner’, or ‘Kaffemisjonen has good coffee’. Image: http://www.kaffemisjonen.no/

 

• Coffee shop cappuccino: NOK 35-49
• Doctor visit copays: starting at ~190 for a consultation

For another resource that gives estimates of typical costs in Norway, click here.