I wake up in the morning of one day on telephones bell, I got my phone to talk and it was strange number but at once I recognized the voice, really I was so happy when I heard it because it was the voice of my Norwegian best friend Mr, Lief, he is elder than me but he is so nice and funny guy I liked him so much, we worked together for 2 years before in Germany in so famous restaurant in Berlin, I worked as a manager food and beverages, he worked there as a chef, he went back home and found a job in big hotel in Oslo that’s because I was at the end of the term of the contract in Germany, I intended not to renew it again because I was not completely satisfied for the salary
So that in the last calling with Mr, Lief, I required to look for a job for me in Norway, he promised he will do it.
After a time and on that day he called me back to tell about getting a job for me and he asked to come to Norway as soon as possible for an interview. of course, it was a great news to get such a job especially I have never been in Norway before also I like to move to new countries and get new adventuer work, I thanked him a lot for his favor.
I talked with my family about this new job, they agreed to move with me there and really it was so great as well so we started to collect our luggage, look for a flying tickets and because I am European I can move with my family fast and easily to all countries in Europe.
Do you know? I started my trip to Norway and went there also I got my job, but in the beginning, I lived with a question in my mind it made me in confusing, before we heard about Norway, the income of the normal person is so high and it is so expensive country and it was so interisting for me to see and know how those Norwegian live in such high standard level of the life, asked my self if Norwegian live in this high level that is because they live in their country and it is rich country but what about foriegners there how they live?
It was interisting to find answer for this question so that at work I mixed with foriegners and asked how they live in Norway? It was a big surprise!! when I realized from them that life is so easy and not expensive at all.
The reality that I found in Norway, all people can live without a big budget not as I imagined before, living there is not expensive at all!
WHAT IS IT MEAN LIVING IS NOT EXPENSIVE AT ALL?
#Not Expensive For Food And Meals.
In Norway they live about 1 million foriegners and from different nationalities salary of such people is different so budget for each one also is different so that when you go inside the Super Market for buying food you find there different products are expensive and another cheap, there they have two companies one of them it is named FIRST PRICE they sell all products so cheap from bread till meat they sell it in cheap prices for example you can find price of bread it costs about 40.00 KOR it is about $4.00 you can find bread by those companies with 7.00 KOR less than $1 and they do the same with all products.
By the way KORON is the name of the local currency in Norway and about 10.00 KOR equal $1.00.
Also if you wanted to buy Hamburger from Macdonalds as a fast food meal, one it costs less than $1.00.
#Not Expensive For Buying Cloths& shoes.
In Norway in the public places in each city or town you must find mall or shopping center and it is full of different shops for cloths&shoes and there you can find everything in so high quality with brands and in cheap prices also from time to time can go for walk there and find big discounts everywhere so you can buy three pices of any kind of clothes such as pants or T-shirts buy three and pay only for two pices and get the third for free. such discounts in the whole year in winter, in summer and in all cities around Norway.
#Not Expensive For Getting Puplic Transportations.
In Norway the normal price of bus,subway,trams ticket is 50.00 KOR it is about $5.00 for one ticket
and there if you bought a ticket from bus you can also use it when you get a subway or tram, but you have limited time for about 30 minutes you can use it after 30 minutes it will be expired.
From time to time you can get a lot of discounts of such tickets and cheap offers for example in summer you can buy card bus for the whole summer in so cheap price and the term of summer there is about 3 months also the drivers of bus can give you cheap offers when you buy a ticket they can offer weekly ticket so cheap, you can buy and use it for the whole week, of course you will save your money.
By the way, I am telling here about the price of bus interior each city only you can pay 50.00 KOR for getting a ticket and from time to time they have offers for passengers as I mintioned before. But if you wanted to move to another city maybe you will travel there by train or by bus it has another fixed prices not cheap and without discounts, for example if you wanted to travel from Oslo to Sandfjord by train or by bus it has the same expenses the ticket costs about 300 KOR.
My advice do not think to dial a TAXI there because really it is so expensive.
Dial only with public transportations it is cheapest than Taxi and always have offers and discounts save a lot for you.
If you wanted to have a car there, amm, to buy a car in Norway also it is cheap, if you wanted to buy used car till model 2005 it is cheap after that it will be more expensive according to cars condition.
By all means if it is not necessary pruchase a car in Norway it is a big mistake why?
1- They have a lot of taxes plus insurance of the car you must pay it every year and this system in all Europe not only in Norway.
2-They have the roads there not free, when you drive in each city you find a several places have a gates with cameras to take a photo for your cars number, in each time you drive to go in the city you should pay by bills come to your home address after a time but it is free when you go out by your car, but it is so bad I did not like that also I never seen this system in Germany, Romania, Poland or even Sweden, so if the car is not necessary for you, I mean if you do not use it for your work there or if you live alone without family it is better to get a public transportations this is my mind, only buy and use a car for your family or work because in such case you can cover all expenses that it needs.
3-Maybe you ask me about benzene there yes it is so expensive but I think also the benzene prices is high in all over the world so this reason it does not matter for getting or not getting a car in Norway.
By the way, in Norway can get cheapest price of benzene only on Sundays you can go to any benzene station to buy in less price.
4-Notice that repairing of cars there it costs so much also for spare parts so be ware and think about that before getting a acar.
#Not Expensive When You Hire Flat or House.
In Norway if you wanted to hire a flat the price of normal flat is not so high also it has no big difference in prices from city to another prices in Oslo Like another city so the price is about $750 monthly + Electric and water, by the way, you must put deposit one month or maybe more according to your agreement with the owner of the flat, all flats they are in luxury level style of living. big flats, ocuppied with everything you need it only get the key of the flat, go buy your products, put it in the fridge or in the kitchen, switch on TV or go to sleep.
But maybe when you look at the price $750 you tell oh! it is so much, there people from eastern Europe go to work they go as a groups from 3 to 4 persons to rent a flat and live in together so they divide the price of renting monthly between each other and then they also live in luxury style flat with so cheap price.
Some people can read this article and tell that only I wrote about living in Norway but for them they will go only as tourists so does this article tell something useful for them?
YES because we have a several matching points we already talked about it, such as food, cloths, transportations, taxi and by all means this information can help tourist as well.
Only tourist he will not go to live in flat or house because system of renting in Norway does not allow to rent flat for one or tow weeks and if he found it will cost so much money for this period, the rent system there is yearly and sometimes can do conracts for 5 years so I think the tourist he will never go to live in flat and for sure he will have previously booking hotel before travel.
About the hotel prices in Norway a little bit expensive but I think if the tourist decided to go to Norway for sightseeing tour he will be able to find a suitable booking hotel and can know about the prices from internet and choose the best for his budget.
The writer of this article lived and worked in Norway more than 3 years learned Norwegian language speak and write it fluently, moved for work to many cities at branches of the hotel in all over Norway, in Oslo,Tonsberg and Sandfjord. For family conditions he had to temporay finish his work and go back home.
By the way, he liked Norway so much and soon will go back again for work and live.
