Unfortunately, it’s not just drinking alkohol<\/strong> in bars that is expensive. \u00a0Eating out is quite dyrt <\/strong>(expensive). \u00a0For what you pay for a whole pizza in Norway (no joke, a little more than an \u00f8l<\/strong>), you can eat a nice entree at many American restaurants. \u00a0Kj\u00f8tt<\/strong> (meat) is much more expensive relative to other food than kj\u00f8tt<\/strong> in the U.S, as is most other mat<\/strong> (food).<\/p>\n In addition to mat og drikker<\/strong> (food and beverages), the cost of actual living space is veldig dyrt <\/strong>(very expensive), especially if you want a place close to a big city center, such as Oslo. \u00a0I just rented a leilighet<\/strong> (apartment) in Troms\u00f8 and I must say, although I haven\u00b4t physically seen any of the spaces yet in person, prisene<\/strong> (the prices) seem very high for what a seemingly similar leilighet<\/strong> would cost in the U.S. \u00a0That\u00b4s my American mentality speaking though. \u00a0I\u00b4ve done some reading up on this since I spent probably 24 hours searching databases for leiligheter<\/strong>, sending emails, requesting more pictures, etc.<\/p>\n Even if the leilighet<\/strong> is very small and is um\u00f8blert <\/strong>(unfurnished), you still have to remember that the building standards are very high and therefore (newer) hus<\/strong> (houses) and leiligheter<\/strong> are top quality. \u00a0They are well insulated to withstand the kaldt klima<\/strong> (cold climate). \u00a0It is very common to have varmekabler <\/strong>(heated cables) underneath several rooms in a residence to provide warmth through the floor.<\/p>\n Although it\u00b4s hard to keep in mind when you are not a native Norwegian spending gobs and gobs of money visiting or living in Norway (and not earning Norwegian wages), there is a balance in the seemingly insane prices of goods and services. \u00a0Norwegians earn more money on average than Americans, are taxed more, spend more on their cost of living, but also have an excellent welfare system that perhaps wouldn\u00b4t be possible were it not for high taxes or prices. \u00a0Some might argue that healthy individuals who don\u00b4t study or have children and just work all their lives don\u00b4t benefit from the social services provided them, but let\u00b4s face it, most people get sick and have kids, and many pursue secondary education. \u00a0Therefore, in my opinion, if you are a Norwegian living in Norway and earning Norwegian wages, the system truly maintains a healthy balance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many of you probably know that Norwegians get taxed pretty heavily (36% is average). \u00a0Anyone who has been to Norway and had purchasing power quickly realizes that the cost for products and services in one\u00b4s daily life seems exorbitant compared to what we pay here in the United States (or most other places in…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/norwegian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2010\/07\/housesinbergen-350x263.jpg\")