Even in a seemingly prosperous country like Norway, more and more people are struggling to make ends meet due to rising prices.

This is highlighted in an article from TV 2, where consumer researchers are now considering creating new rates for what it will actually cost to live in Norway in 2025.

Terje Thomassen of the KIL fund, which distributes food boxes to people in difficult financial situations, tells the channel that more and more people who have both a job and a home still need help with food expenses after fixed costs such as electricity and interest have increased.

Jack Granat (38), who works in a kindergarten and is a single father of two, is one of those feeling the effects of high food prices. He says it is difficult to make ends meet.</p

The consumer research institute SIFO has an existing reference budget calculator that provides an estimate of necessary expenditure on food and consumer goods. Director Jorge Jensen admits that this budget does not capture all expenses and that there is a need for a new calculator that takes into account, among other things, geographical differences in housing and electricity costs.

Figures from Statistics Norway show that costs are rising most for homeowners, but tenants such as Granat are also experiencing increased costs. More than one in five households have had problems with unforeseen expenses, and eight per cent are struggling to make ends meet. Price growth since February last year is 3.6 per cent.

The Salvation Army is also reporting an increased need for food distribution in several cities this year compared to last year, indicating growing poverty. State Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion, Ingrid Endrerud, points to the government’s measures such as electricity subsidies and cheaper kindergarten as attempts to ease people’s finances, but acknowledges that this is not always enough.

According to figures from Trading Economics, the inflation rate in Norway was 3.6 per cent in February 2025, up from 2.3 per cent in January, confirming the rising inflation rate.

Online cost-of-living calculators from Wise and Digit Insurance, among others, for April 2025 show that the monthly expenses for a single person in Norway, without rent, can easily be between NOK 8,000 and 15,000, depending on consumption levels. With rent included, total monthly costs can easily exceed NOK 20,000, especially in larger cities.

Thomassen at KIL fond says that the interval between users reporting that they no longer need help is getting longer, which suggests that many are still in a difficult financial situation.