Typical Stavanger Cost of Living For Couples

Hi everyone,

I'm doing some research on living in Stavanger as I may have a job offer this week for an engineering role. 

To make sure I don't commit and then find out I can't afford it, I'd really appreciate some advice from anyone in Stavanger, particularly UK expats, who can give a rough cost of living.  I have checked several sites and my wife and I have been looking at places to rent.  So far we have monthly cost estimates of:

Accommodation - 10,000NOK
Groceries - 6,000NOK

But I daren't even post what I have for bills (gas, electricity, water, internet etc.) as I think I will be quite far out. 

I look forward to your responses.  In the meantime I will be looking at other requirements for moving to Norway for work.

Try www.numbeo.com for living costs

you can find rental places in Stavanger on  Finn.no. It'll give you an idea if 10k NOK will cover the kind of place you want:

https://www.finn.no/realestate/lettings … dius=10000

as for groceries, 6000 is about what my husband and I spend with two kids, and what my sister in law and her boyfriend spend (along with a baby). We're in Oslo, not Stavanger, but it's probably pretty consistent pricewise.

Thanks Stumpy - I've been using that as a guideline.  Ideally I could get information from people living there.

ECS - thank you very much.  I've found the 10,000NOK mark on Finn.no to be a comfortable budget for us in Stavanger.  There's a good range of apartments on there that suit us and fit in that budget.

I appreciate the information on the groceries - that should be more than enough for me and my wife then.  If you don't mind me asking - what other bills should I typically expect to face?  Of course without going into your finances, I just appreciate any information I can get.  I expect gas, water, electricity, internet - but are there other costs such as taxes that would come out monthly?

Thank you both so much.

If you're renting, you're probably not going to be dealing with trash/water on a monthly basis. When I rented, my costs were internet & electricity. Heating is often hot water or electricity so that cost is bundled in to your electric bill or often included in the cost of your rent.

Taxes should be deducted automatically for typical jobs- I'm employed by a foreign company so deal with my own tax payments on a quarterly basis.

our other monthly costs are:
- transportation costs
- insurance (many landlords require renter insurance so look into this)
- barnehage for our two kids
- entertainment/streaming services

I feel like it's pretty streamlined to live here- there aren't a ton of hidden costs to Norwegian life.

Hi ECS,

Thank you so much for that extra information.  Hidden costs were my main concern, so thank you for putting my mind at ease.  The jobs I am looking at are through the standard Norwegian tax system.  I thought about registering my limited company but I already know too little about life in Norway, I would just be confusing myself further.

So combined after tax income of 50,000NOK per month should be enough to look after a couple would you say?

Renter insurance is interesting - never heard of it before.  This is exactly the type of thing I am looking to find out.  Thank you so much!! :-D

Hello, i live in Stavanger since 5 months so i can help you but for sure it depends on every family .. your are only 2 adults?

I would recommed Finn.no as a web site which you can check the rental of property prices And also u can find apartmentd included electricity/parking/car charger.... etc

About the grocery. I dont know if your are vegan/vege or..???

Hi Cheri,

Thank you for your response.  It will just be the two of us, no children.  I can't see the link but I have been recommended finn.no as mentioned earlier in this thread and it has been very useful so far. 
We have no special dietary requirements.

10,000NOK per month for rent is our limit.  We have found some nice-looking places for that.  It's just trying to make sure they are a short distance from where I would be working, as well as the main town area.

Does being vegan or vegetarian increase grocery cost?  Tofu/seitan is pretty cheap in the US, I have not looked to see how pricey if it exist in Norway .

Hii,

Yes you have to check on google maps of the home nesr to your work and for sure a bus station and if you need help you can tell me wich area will be your work so i can help you as I was searching for a home before 😃

10K for rent will good enough if you are fine with basement apartments else you have to live a bit outside the main city area.

6K for grocery should be good enough

transport (toll have been reduced from Feb :-) ) 3-4K pm per car...public transport 800

if you don't smoke & drink a lot then 20K PM is usually fine for one person. So, 32-35K should be good enough for a couple as you will be sharing the house and other stuffs