The average salary in Norway is NOK 47,290 per month ($5,160) — this is higher than in the majority of countries of the world. However, IT workers in Norway earn almost the same amount as the average across all sectors, sometimes higher depending on work experience and location.
How much you can earn
The average IT salary in Norway is about NOK 50,000 – 60,000 per month ($5,500 – 6,500). It can vary significantly depending on various factors.
Here are IT salaries in Norway depending on the occupation, per month / per year (NOK, before taxes), according to kode24:
- Front-end developer: 51,210 / 614,545
- Embedded programmer: 52,125 / 637,500
- Software developer: 55,280 / 663,333
- Full-stack developer: 57,460 / 689,552
- Back-end developer: 59,240 / 710,870
- Applications developer: 60,049 / 720,588
- DevOps engineer: 60,710 / 728,571
- IT manager: 69,570 / 834,848
Salaries may also include extra payments, bonuses, and overtime pays. Here are a few examples (NOK, according to Statistics Norway):
Systems analysts:
- Monthly salary: 65,220
- Additional allowances: 530
- Bonus: 3,070
- Overtime pay: 1,130
Software developers:
- Monthly salary: 60,510
- Additional allowances: 160
- Bonus: 2,390
- Overtime pay: 530
Web and multimedia developers:
- Monthly salary: 50,290
- Additional allowances: 260
- Bonus: 1,340
- Overtime pay: 450
Applications programmers:
- Monthly salary: 55,570
- Additional allowances: 140
- Bonus: 1,530
- Overtime pay: 280
Other software and applications developers:
- Monthly salary: 61,640
- Additional allowances: 580
- Bonus: 3,250
- Overtime pay: 1,100
Database designers and administrators:
- Monthly salary: 59,360
- Additional allowances: 800
- Bonus: 1,640
- Overtime pay: 830
Systems administrators:
- Monthly salary: 55,260
- Additional allowances: 1,050
- Bonus: 1,480
- Overtime pay: 1,720
IT salaries also depend on age. According to kode24, IT specialists between 40 and 49 years of age earn almost 40% more than their colleagues who are 20 to 29 years of age (NOK per year):
- 20–29 years old: 575,352
- 30–39 years old: 721,375
- 40–49 years old: 793,511
In addition, IT salaries can vary depending on education. Surprisingly, according to the kode24 survey, self-taught professionals earn a little bit more than those with a Bachelor’s degree.
- Bachelor’s degree: 659,220
- Self-taught: 666,981
- Master’s degree or higher: 743,750
Finally, your salary can be different depending on the city where you work. Here are examples of the average IT salaries across Norwegian regions (NOK per year):
- Oslo: 743,913
- Rogaland (Stavanger, Bryne, Haugesund, etc.): 706,066
- Vest-Agder (Alleen, Farsund, Kristiansand, etc.): 698,111
- Akershus (Drøbak, Jessheim, Lillestrøm, etc.): 688,150
- Aust-Agder (Arendal, Grimstad, Risør, etc.): 672,000
- Hordaland (Bergen, Leirvik, Odda): 666,205
- Buskerud (Drammen, Hønefoss, Kongsberg, etc.): 654,858
- Østfold (Askim, Fredrikstad, Halden, etc.): 636,357
- Telemark (Brevik, Kragerø, Langesund, etc.): 630,000
- Trøndelag (Trondheim, Steinkjer, Stjørdalshalsen, etc.): 626,254
- Vestfold (Holmestrand, Horten, Larvik, etc.): 612,142
- Nordland (Bodø, Narvik, Bindal, etc.): 588,894
- Møre og Romsdal (Ålesund, Kristiansund, Molde, etc.): 584,500
- Finnmark (Alta, Berlevåg, Båtsfjord): 575,000
- Troms (Tromsø, Balsfjord, Bardu, etc.): 547,857
- Hedmark (Ringsaker, Hamar, Elverum, etc.): 533,571
- Sogn og Fjordane (Florø, Førde, Måløy, etc.): 460,500
- Oppland (Lillehammer, Fagernes, Otta, etc.): 430,000
→ Salaries in Norwegian cities
Illustration: If you make NOK 50,000 a month living in Norway, you will be taxed NOK 12,719 (Neuvoo.com)
Note that all the salaries mentioned above are before taxes. For example, if you earn NOK 50,000 per month, you’ll take home NOK 37,281, and you’ll be taxed NOK 12,719. Your average tax rate is 25.44% and your marginal tax rate is 43.60%. This marginal tax rate means that your immediate additional income will be taxed at this rate. For instance, an increase of NOK 100 in your salary will be taxed NOK 43.60, hence, your net pay will only increase by NOK 56.40.
Cost of living in Norway
The average IT salary of NOK 50,000 per month is enough to live comfortably in Norway. Expenses can vary between NOK 16,000 and 30,000 per month depending on your spending, size of your family, your hobbies, etc. This includes the following monthly expenses (NOK):
- Rental accommodation: 11,000 – 16,000
- Food: 2,500 – 5,000
- Public transport: 700 – 1,300
- Car expenses: 2,000 – 4,000
- Leisure activities: 1,000 – 2,000
- Utilities, phone and Internet: 1,000 – 2,000
- Household items: 100
- Other expenses: 700
Keep in mind that life in Oslo is more expensive than in other cities.