How much does it cost to live in Norway? (Countryside/Cabin)

The dream of a life off the grid

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We’ve been living in Norway for over a year! But now, after moving into our first own place (before that, we stayed at the family cabin of my girlfriend), financial reality hits differently. So today, we are going to have a look at how much it actually costs to live in a small house in Norway’s countryside. I’ve made a little list here so let’s go through it all the way from renting to going to the gym and having pets.

Housing

At the moment, we are renting a small house right by the sea. It has three small bedrooms, a big living area, and kitchen as well as a decent bathroom.

Rent

The rent for this 900$.

It differs a lot from the city and I would say that this is pretty much as cheap as it gets (except you go much further north). You need insurance here as well, so there is another 15$ adding to that.

Subtotal: 915$

Electricity/Water

Winters are cold here and electricity bills come outside the rent. We haven’t received our first one yet but it is most likely around 60$ if we are somewhat aligned with the average.

In terms of water, we are connected to a well. So no charges for that. Wastewater as well regular waste service is included in the rent.

Trash is a bit different here tho. We collect it outside for a while until we make a trip to a container every once in a while which is about a kilometer down the road.

Subtotal: 975$

Transportation

Having a car is inevitable. Distances are long in Norway!

And without owning it, work, groceries, and gym trips would be nearly impossible. Or at least they would take ages.

So we bought one in the very beginning. The search started back in Denmark. The 2014 Toyota Proace we bought with 100K mileage was 9400$. Let’s assume that it holds for 6 years. Which makes a monthly total of 130$.

To that, we need to add insurance, 115$ and fuel, 96$.

We are not done yet tho. Depending on where you go, there are some ferries to take and some toll roads to pay. Maybe just as an average add around 50$ if you are not commuting.

At least it’s not too complicated. You have this little device in the car called autopass. It’s a sensor for all toll stations, so everything is deducted automatically.

Then there is changing from summer to winter tires and if you drive as much as we do, either a small or big service every other year, maybe with some new breaks after all these hills. Adding another 85$ to the bill. This lets us end up with 476$ per month, for us two.

Subtotal: 1451$

Food

Assuming you are also in for a pretty decent diet, things are getting expensive.

Our current food bill is around 720$ for two.

That includes a good amount of chocolate tho.

Jokes aside, we are looking quite close at prices and are eating seasonal and pretty much whatever is on offer. So in terms of proper eating with a decent amount of calories, we should be pretty close to as cheap as it gets.

Subtotal: 2171$

Gym

I thought the gym would have been cheaper in the countryside but for two we end up paying a whopping 108$ every month

Subtotal: 2279$

Internet/Phone

Assuming you think about working somewhat remotely here, then there is also the internet bill. 60 mbs unlimited usage wifi is around 60$ and mobile providers with unlimited data are 65$ per phone.

We are lucky to still be able to use the danish contracts so our current bill is 65$ for two. We use our phones as mobile hotpot and therefore don’t have any cable-based wifi.

Subtotal: 2344$

Pets

Then there is one extra which might be interesting.

Countryside means space and more people than in the city have pets. Assuming you would like to have a dog. With getting a yearly checkup and some vaccines as well as food, and the initial price of a pure breed dog with a life expectancy of 10 years, that would be another 65$ per month.

Total

Our monthly expenses for two end up being around

2409$

1405$/person

It’s easy to see that Norway is one of the richest countries on the planet.

But it is still very much worth living here!

 

Overview