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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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POLITICS

How Norway’s 2025 budget will impact foreign residents

Norway’s government won’t unveil its budget for another few weeks, but several proposals, such as income tax cuts, have already been made public. Here's how foreign residents in Norway will be affected.

Published: 19 September 2024 12:06 CEST
How Norway's 2025 budget will impact foreign residents

Norway’s budget for 2025 will be unveiled on October 7th. It is the last budget the current government will present before the general election next year.

Tax cuts

Finance minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum said this summer that those on ordinary incomes would pay less income tax in 2025. How much income tax will be cut is currently unknown.

Tax residents of Norway currently pay a flat tax rate of 22 percent, and then a further “bracket tax” based on how much they earn. For example, those who earn up to 670,000 kroner per year pay a four percent bracket tax, while those making between 670,001 and 937,900 kroner pay a 13.6 percent bracket tax.

READ ALSO: How does Norway’s bracket tax for income work?

Norway’s tax card system would also be tweaked to benefit those with part-time jobs. Next year, you can earn up to 100,000 before paying tax. This could benefit foreign students in Norway.

Finances

The government will continue its electric subsidy for households next year. The government announced its intention to continue the policy this spring.

Currently, the state covers 90 percent of the electricity price above 73 øre per kWh – or 91.25 øre including VAT.

Residents of Norway’s 212 least central municipalities will have 25,000 kroner of their student loans written off per year from 2026.

Those in Finnmark and Nord-Troms will have their loans written off at a rate of 60,000 kroner a year.

READ MORE: The incentives to attract people to northern Norway

Crime

The government will spend an extra 2.8 billion kroner on fighting crime. Of this, 2.4 billion kroner will go directly to beefing up the number of police officers in Norway. Some 90 million kroner would be put towards cracking down on financial crime.

Furthermore, 405 million kroner would also be spent on fighting youth crime, by creating a fast track court for young offenders and creating more juvenile detention places.

Travel changes

Up to 2.9 billion kroner extra spending will go into maintaining Norway’s rail infrastructure. Signal and track failures have been a constant source of delays in east Norway, where services regularly struggle with punctuality.

Over 12 billion kroner will be spent on Norway’s rail system.

Norway could finally reveal more details on its proposed tourist tax. The country’s industry minister, Cecilie Myrseth, has previously said that a proposal would be tabled this autumn.

The minister didn’t say whether this would be related to the raft of proposals included in the budget.

A potential tourist tax has long been promised by the current government as part of the Hurdal Agreement it was formed on in 2021.

As part of its budget cooperation with the Socialist Left Party, the government will be required to assess whether a subsidy scheme should be introduced for long-distance bus travel in Norway.

Bus routes without an alternative, such as train, could be subsidised under the scheme.

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