Work out a household's living expenses in Norway based on SIFO's reference budget — plus housing and electricity, which SIFO's own calculator deliberately leaves out.
Total cost of living
21,678 kr/month
consumption + housing + electricity
The food budget is reduced 12 % — SIFO's "economy of scale" for couple families with more than two children.
Add each person in the household with their gender and age group.
Enter the number of petrol/diesel and electric cars in the household.
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.
Cost of living = Individual-specific costs + Household-specific costs + Car costs + Childcare + Housing + Electricity
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).
Note: The reference budget does not cover housing, electricity or other housing costs — that's a deliberate scope decision by SIFO itself, not something added here. The housing and electricity fields are Kalkulo's own addition for a fuller picture. The childcare cost uses Norway's national maximum parental-payment rate (1,200 kr/month, or 700 kr in low-income municipalities) plus a meal fee — not SIFO's own estimate, and doesn't account for sibling discounts. Household-specific costs are looked up by household size, not exact composition, and are a simplification for households of 6 or more people. This calculator reflects Norwegian rates and household norms and isn't meant for comparing cost of living in other countries.
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.
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