Norway
Bergen makes sense if
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
- You want the deeper culture and food scene.
- You value stronger public spaces and everyday city life.
Bergen vs Trondheim
Bergen is a compact fjord-side city with outdoor access and a calm pace, but persistent rain is a defining part of life. Trondheim is another small Norwegian university city, with forests and water close by and a quiet, orderly routine. Bergen has the stronger healthcare, culture and public-life results; Trondheim's safety and career results stand out.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Trondheim makes sense if
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Bergen72
Leads on nature & outdoors and city life; stands out for music & art scene and hiking.
- 2Trondheim70
Narrowly best on work & family: 72 vs Bergen's 71; stands out for cycling infrastructure and running & cycling routes.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Bergen63Trondheim63
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
NOK 1,320/moNOK 24K/mo
- NOK 13.3K/mo
- NOK 13.2K/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~31%
- ~32%
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 102
- 102
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 28–40%
- 28–40%
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 119 days
- 110 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 4 days
- 2 days
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 6.2 µg/m³
- 5.7 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Bergen77Trondheim68
Beach & sea
110
- 5/10
- 5/10
Mountains
110
- 9/10, leads
- 7/10
City parks
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Weekend escapes
110
- 10/10, leads
- 8/10
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Bergen75Trondheim71
Walkability
110
- 6/10
- 7/10, leads
Public transport
110
- 7/10, leads
- 6/10
Restaurants
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Public spaces
110
- 9/10, leads
- 8/10
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Bergen84Trondheim83
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 0.7
- 0.7
Feels safe day to day
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
Healthcare quality
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
English-speaking care
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Trondheim72Bergen71
Job market
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
Jobs in English
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Work–life balance
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
Schools
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Trondheim60Bergen59
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 2/10
- 2/10
Openness to newcomers
110
- 5/10
- 5/10
Flight connections
110
- 6/10, leads
- 5/10
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 9/10
- 9/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 9/10
- 9/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 6/10
- 6/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 9/10
- 9/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Bergen
Bergen's walkable centre puts homes and shops between the harbour and the hills. Beyond the core, the built-up area spreads thinly, making a car more useful.
Trondheim
Trondheim's scale is its appeal: it is compact, walkable, and easy to navigate without a car. The urban mix works well for daily errands, while the calm tempo and average housing space make the city feel more like a settled regional centre than a major metropolis.
Safety
Bergen
Violent and petty crime are rare, the streets feel secure after dark, and traffic safety and political stability are strong. Daily trips rarely require much thought about personal safety.
Trondheim
Violent crime is close to nonexistent, traffic is calm and well managed, and walking home alone at night barely registers as a concern. Petty theft exists but stays low.
Work and healthcare
Bergen
Bergen has a steady but specialised market, with reasonable openings in its established industries and low unemployment. Care quality is excellent and broadly free at the point of use, with reliable emergency services and staff who switch to English readily.
Trondheim
Trondheim has a workable market for in-demand fields, with particular strength in its established industries and startup scene, though the overall range is not broad. Care is solid and the public system keeps out-of-pocket costs low, with reliable emergency services and easy access to English-speaking medical staff.
Culture and public life
Bergen
The cafe scene is genuinely good and the music and arts life punches above the city's size, but the broader cultural offer is modest. Bergen is clean, its colourful clapboard streets rinsed regularly by the rain.
Trondheim
Culture here is intimate and student-flavoured rather than grand: a good cafe habit, a respectable music and art scene, and a handful of museums and venues. Trondheim is a clean, tidy Norwegian city, well kept throughout.
Summary
Bergen suits people who want fjord access and a stronger cultural and healthcare profile, and can tolerate the rain. Trondheim is compelling if safety and local work matter more, with a student-city feel and easy access to nature. Both have long, dark winters, so consider the climate as part of the relocation decision.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.