Cost of living in Trondheim: Food
Photo: Eirik Haldberg
Want to eat in Trondheim on the cheap? Or maybe you’ve just been curious about what food prices look like in Norway! Here’s a guide for you if you're going to shop for food in Trondheim, whether you eat vegan, as much meat as you can fit in your diet, or want something in between. All fruit and vegetables are calculated at the kilo price for ease of calculation.
Staples: Total 465 NOK
What we define as staples: rice, beans, apples, clementines, coffee, flour, potatoes, milk, eggs, red/yellow onion, bread, frozen veg, olive oil
Vegan: Total Staples+435 (882 NOK, 742 without B12 supplements)
If you’re vegan or aspire to eat less animal-based products, we’ve got you! We have a list here of what we consider vegan staples and general cost. Vegan foods can be found at all grocery stores, but those where certain powders, supplements, and seeds can be found are: Zana, Life, Sunkost, and international shops.
Shopping list: all staples (minus milk & eggs) plus oat milk, sweet potatoes, nutritional yeast, oats, lentils, nuts, tofu, veggie burgers, and B12 supplements
Photo: Jonas Hustad
Vegetarian: Total Staples+269 (734 NOK)
Want a few more options than what your vegan friends eat?
Shopping list: all staples, plus yogurt, honey, and cheese
Try: brown cheese! The classic Fløteysost costs 57,-
Photo: Jonas Hustad
DID YOU KNOW: Both the meat and dairy industries are heavily subsidized in Norway. If you want to eat vegan, you will probably have to shop around to find everything you want. If you buy bulk and think creatively, your kroner will go much further.
Meat-eater Total 465+300 (765 NOK)
We’ve got you covered too, meat-eater! Here are the general prices of different kinds of meat, including fish.
Shopping list: All staples and any combo of sausage, chicken, pork, beef, cod, or Norwegian salmon
Try: mackerel in tomato sauce!
Try: tinned liver paté!
Try: sodd!
Photo: Jonas Hustad
GOOD TO KNOW: The Norwegian national health guidelines on fish are at least 300-450 grams of fish per week. They suggest you not eat more than 350 grams of red meat per week.
Other tips
It’s much easier to eat cheap in Trondheim if you eat like a Norwegian! This means things like crispbread, root vegetables, Norwegian dairy products, and seasonal fruit. If you’re flexible with your diet, you’ll have an easier time eating at a lower cost.
Many restaurants and convenience stores are part of an app called Too good to go. The idea behind the app is to lower food waste. At the end of the working day, these restaurants will list bags of their food (usually not available for choice) at a discount. Some will even list them the day before because they are so popular! You reserve and buy the bag in the app and show up at the agreed-upon time to pick up your food.
Most of the chain shops (Co-op, Bunnpris, REMA 1000, KIWI) carry cheaper brand versions of staples. These brands are called: First Price, Xtra, Co-op
Photo: Eirik Haldberg
GOOD TO KNOW: Prices of food have gone up globally and Norway is no exception. Food prices have increased around 30% since 2021.
Photo: Eirik Haldberg
Remember to try the international shops for cheap bulk items. They carry a variety of staples from other countries, so be sure to check it out if you’re missing something from home! No guarantees they carry that spice or canned good, but they might. Another place to find bulk cheap items is OBS! These supercentres are located in City Lade and City Syd.
Want to live more like a royal? We suggest you shop at Meny, which has more extensive sections with a wider variety of choice. Many Meny stores have bakery sections, fresh meat and fish sections, and broad selections of cheeses. They often have what are considered more specialty fruits/vegetables or dry goods. They also have more options for vegans or vegetarians. All of this variety is reflected in price.
Lists and Prices
Staples
Rice - varies a lot depending on the type of rice you want, “dinner rice” (Thai) is 37 a bag, whereas basmati and jasmine are closer to 90-100,- Bulk dry from an international shop will be cheapest.
Beans - a box will cost you around 11,- but bulk dry from an international shop will be cheapest.
Apples - 15-33 per kilo, depending on the apple and the season
Clementines - 43 per kilo
Coffee - 55, per 250g
Flour - 25-30 for a bag
Potatoes - a kilo will run you 23,-
Milk - the store brand will be cheapest, but a liter will cost you a little over 20,
Eggs - these vary a lot, anywhere between 38-50,
Red/yellow onion - red is around 30, yellow at 24,
Bread - usually around 20, for a store brand wheat bread loaf. A tip here is to bake your own!
Frozen vegetables - broccoli mix costs 19,
Olive oil - this varies a lot depending on your tastes, but we found the cheapest to be around 90,-
Vegan
Plant milks: We found oat and soy to be cheapest at 18, for store brand oat milk, and 24, for store brand soy.
Sweet potato - 32, per kilo
Nutritional yeast - this vegan staple costs around 120-150 for a smaller bag.
Oats - a bag costs around 30,
Lentils - a box costs 13-17, but bulk dry from international shops will be cheapest
Nuts - a small bag of almonds costs 29-40, but bulk dry from international shops will be cheapest
Tofu - store brand will be cheapest, around 42-43 for a double pack
Other meat substitutes: veggie burgers cost around 50, for two patties
B12 supplements: 140
Vegetarian
Yogurt - natural yogurt costs about 19 per 500g
Honey - this varies a lot depending on the brand, region, and filtered state. Anywhere between 70-120
Cheese - A package of Jarlsberg costs 123
Meat
Sausage - regular sausage that Norwegians tend to boil cost around 45, a package (6-8 sausages)
Chicken - 1kg filet cost varies from store to store, around 150,
Pork - 55,-
Beef - This is regular ground beef, around 50,-
Cod - per 400-500g, 120-128,
Norwegian salmon - varies depending on the brand, around 172,-
Photo: Eirik Haldberg
Gwen Elliot
Gwen has lived in Trondheim, Norway for seven years. She is studying for her Master's in Gender & Equality Studies and volunteers for Amnesty International in her free time.
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