Norway Cost of Living Calculator
Work out a household's living expenses in Norway based on SIFO's reference budget — including kindergarten, after-school care and car costs — plus housing and electricity, which SIFO's own calculator deliberately leaves out.
How to use the cost of living calculator
- Add each person in the household with their gender and age group. Tick kindergarten or AKS/SFO where relevant.
- Enter the number of petrol/diesel and electric cars, household gross income, and your preferred AKS/SFO programme.
- Add housing and electricity costs for a full picture — SIFO's own calculator stops at consumption expenses alone.
How the cost of living is calculated
The calculator uses SIFO's (Norway's Consumption Research institute at OsloMet) reference budget — the same figures the Norwegian state, banks and the welfare agency NAV use as a benchmark for ordinary consumption expenses. Each person contributes individual-specific costs (food, clothes, personal care, play/media, travel), while the household as a whole has its own shared costs (groceries, household items, furniture, media use/leisure) that don't scale directly with the number of people.
If the household has more than two children, SIFO reduces the food budget by 12 % (an "economy of scale" — it's cheaper per child to buy food for a large family). Kindergarten has a matching sibling discount: the first child in kindergarten gets the full rate, the second a lower rate, and any further children an even lower rate. Car costs depend on household size — SIFO uses a different operating cost for households of 1-4 versus 5-7 people, not a flat amount per car. The AKS/SFO rate depends on the household's gross income (three income bands) and the programme chosen.
Frequently asked questions
What is SIFO's reference budget?
A research-based budget for ordinary consumption expenses, updated annually by SIFO at OsloMet since 1987. It's used by, among others, Norway's welfare agency NAV to set child support, and by banks and courts as a reference for what "normal" consumption actually costs.
Why isn't housing included in SIFO's own budget?
Because housing costs vary enormously by location, housing type and whether you own or rent — so much that a national average would give a misleading picture. SIFO leaves the housing cost for the user to add themselves, which this calculator does directly in the total.
Can I use this to compare myself with others?
Use it instead to see whether your own spending is above or below a research-based "normal level" for a household like yours — not as a judgment on whether you spend "too much" or "too little". Every household has different priorities.
Why do kindergarten and AKS/SFO cost differently per child?
SIFO's figures include a sibling discount for kindergarten: the first child in kindergarten pays the full rate, the second child a lower rate, and any further children an even lower rate — the same principle most municipalities use. The AKS/SFO rate instead depends on the household's gross income (three income bands) and which programme (full time, part time, or full time with subsidized core hours) you choose, at the same rate for every child on the programme.