Norway living costs

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Peter

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Our plan for next year is to go cruising to Norway for a 2 to 3 months, possibly over wintering the boat in Norway. We know Norway is expensive and are looking to get some idea of how much it is going to cost, as on a budget, for food etc. We know booze is expensive and we will be filling the boat up to beer and wine to cover the trip. If anyone has been to Norway this year would like some idea of everyday costs, i.e. for food, veg, meat, plus diesel and marine/harbour prices if possible. As we have limited info on the cost of living in Norway.

Thanks

Peter
 
it is not the cost that is the problem it is the pure impossibility of finding any good food ,except perphaps pizza.
Norway is not in EU so be careful telling everyone that you are taking a boat full of booze into Norway people have been arrested for this.You are allowed to import ,I think one bottle of strong spirit per person and a small amount of wine.
still it is a very nice country well worth a visit.
 
Filling the boat up with booze and fags is not necessarily a good idea as Norway is not in the EU and has quite low import limits. 4 years ago I had an interesting conversation with Noggy customs as the boat was abrim with booze. Disaster was only averted by promising to push on to Sweden at the earliest opportunity.

Apart from the booze I didn't find Norway all that expensive.

Whatever it costs it is still the loveliest cruising area and worth it.

PM "Talbot" he lives there.
 
Norway has beer @ £8/'pint' - so expensive compared to UK.

They also have a 'rule' enforced by their CG (who are a paramilitary organisation), that you must advise them 24 hours in advance, that you intend entering their waters.

Also reporting by VHF to CG required at the appropriate 'baseline'. Some harbours will have a dedicated VHF channel & may not be monitoring Ch 16.
 
In over 20 visits to Norway, I have just sailed in and tied up. Advising 24 hours in advance is laughable, where did you get that from ? Their CG are not listening to VHF like UK's, with the vast numbers of yachts, both sail and motor, moving around in Norwegian inshore waters, they simply could not cope or care. Small boats are entering and leaving harbours at all hours in summer and I have yet to hear any of them calling port control.
As to the beer, Norway does not have pubs as we know them and anything involving 'service' costs as wages are high. However, beer is reasonably priced in the supermarkets.
 
I flew in with a few extra bottles of whisky, and the most polite customs told me it was too much, I replied I will be drinking it over a few months and smiled , he smiled back and said that is ok then , so now you will pay £££ in duty.
I paid with a smile and gratefull not to have it taken and pay the duty and fine,

Lovely place, spent a couiple of years there, but food is /was yuk,
once we got our vessel sailing we did booze/food/bunker runs to aberdeen every few months and we also had a bond on so it all worked out well.
Mike
 
I dont know where you get these 'rules'. Norway is a member of Schengen (except Svalbard). This means that if you come from a Schengen country (i.e. Sweden) you DO NOT need to clear in and out. Actually, if you are on a yacht less than 24m in length and are a EU/EEC national you dont need to sign in and out at all. You only need to notify 24 hours in advance if you are over 24m in length or 50 gross tons. (i.e. A tanker!)

The reality is that the Norwegian coastguard isnt generally that interested in yachts. They do occasionally station a boat on the main drag from Sweden into Oslo, but they are mainly interested in catching Norwegians returning with boats full of booze. You can always go in the back way if you dont fancy meeting them.

We found Norway gratuitively expensive, even compared to Sweden. You will find Stromstad absolutely stuffed with Norwegian boats filling up for a hop back over the border. Only diesel is cheaper.

Its probably all summed up by my favorite comment overheard from an Aussie tourist in Oslo - [accent on] 'tell Charlene that you cant get anything here that you cant get at home, only its three times the price'.

If eating out is expensive (£40 quid for two sandwiches, a coke and a glass of wine), the supermarket choices are sometimes also surprisingly limited in both range and quantity. Oslo however has a large ethnic section and the Halal shops just behind the main station is the best place to buy affordable meat and vegetables. Generally, in supermarkets, we found (2007) its about 50% up on UK prices.

Against that, the country is simply stunning, Oslo has a number of attractions and the marinas are all empty in summer as many Norwegians head south.

You are probably aware that there are potential issues with leaving a boat laid up over the winter (apart from the ice!). This is a subject that has been much debated over on the CA forums and the official line is that, currently, you cant, without getting hit for import tax. However a number of people do so by agreement with the local customs and also court cases to get the thing relaxed are pending. So beware.
 
Re: Norway Overwintering

As Pandroid said the position regarding overwintering is complex. The official line is that you must clear into Norway so as to "set" a clock that allows you to cruise in Norway for up to a year. If you dont clear in there is no proof you have not been there more than the limit.
You must not leave the boat and go away. No minimum time is stated. If you do that you may be deemed to have imported the boat and be liable for import taxes (round about 25% of boats value). The only official exemption is if you store the boat in a bonded warehouse.
Exceptions do get made - more likely in areas well away from the capital - but they are unofficial. It's your call.
The laws are very similar for cars and aeroplanes. The authorities do not want anyone to import these items without paying import duty.
 
Advising 24 hours in advance is laughable, where did you get that from ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal Experience!

From being boarded by their CG & given a written reprimand for not doing so! We had arrived from Denmark.

This was in Krisiansand & we had been in contact with the HM & had been there for 4 days when they boarded!
 
There two very good sources of information on cruising in Norway. One is an Anglo Saxon view via the RCC cruising guide, the other is an American view via the Norwegian Cruising Guide.

How and whether you choose to overwinter in Norway is your choice. There are risks associated with import tax (although this line is now shifting, see the NCG re that) and some these are worth worrying about. Others (me included) have overwintered their boats in Norway without any problems.

There is a Brit who lives in Aalesund who posts on this forum under the name of Viking who is very helpful.
 
I live near Stavanger.

Most Norwegians drink at home before going out for the evening.

Booze is only available from stae owned shops although you can get beer from the supermarkets.

Food - import of meat is restricted to a small amount. Supermarket stocks of meat are a bad joke. Vegtables are available, but most have been forced in greenhouses under artificial light. They are tasteless.

Thank god I go abroad often enough to keep up a reasonable supply of armagnac.

As for the comment on a thread about cheap housing - he is having a laugh - I reckon myself lucky to have a house rented at £1800 a month with no garage and no garden.

On the other hand.

The scenary is phenomenal

The salmon and cod are fantastic and reasonably priced.
 
Complete opposite experience. I have spent a lot of time in Bergen and we have a cabin in the mountains near Voss. I regularly read the papers and when I compare what we paid for our house and what the same money could get us in Bergen, it's almost heart breaking. Rents and purchase prices are two very different things.

Norwegians are very much outdoors people and so we would frequently be treated to fresh fish or home prepared meat when out with friends and family. Our meat supplies only ever go one way, from Bergen to Dublin! Home grown vegetables are readily available (we grow ours when possible) and the selection of home grown fruit is far beyond what I can get in my local supermarkets. They also have a terrific selection of freshly baked bread and pastries in the supermarket every day.

Their diet very much reflects the nature of their climate and landscape. It may not always be as wide a choice as a central London food market, however, when was the last time you saw a malnourished Scandinavian...
 
Interesting thread

I had been thinking of going to Western Noerway next season, I even managed to buy a full st of charts on ebay.......................

However having now seen the rainfall figures and having heard how expensive it can be I am now thinking of giving Norway a miss and going to Western Sweden instead.
 
Try eastern Norway. The coast there is fantastic and it gets almost as much sun as the west coast gets rain. The west coast of Sweden is spectacular, but is almost totally barren and the mosquitos and gnats are a menace.
 
Hi If you are still interested in spend a couple of months up with us on the west coast I would be only to happy to drop you a line with some facts a details. Chris_E spent a winter with us (well his boat did). We are meeting more and more Eurofiles sailing these waters. In our sailing club (owned) marina we have a Germany, French, Dutch and a Belgian boat staying this winter at arrange rates including electrics.
winter here on the west coast are mild commared to the rest of Norway, Most boats stay in. We even have a regatta in the Xmas holidays.
Costs for example berthing £10 per night up to 40ft. (one big town even supplys free fresh rolls in the morning) Diesel 60p liter.
There are lots of wonderful islands where it free to moor and anchor.
If you thing coming, come soon before the rest of the world find us.
Oh! It only rained on 3rd June , 14th July this summer. What was it like in the UK???
Oh about length of stay Chris_E will confirm the if you are just cruising and staying over winter he got an open date from the TOLL (customs).
 
What Viking omits to say, is that he and his YC are most welcoming and are, in common, with almost all Norwegians, helpful to a fault. Here's a taster of winter conditions in Viking's YC

111-1163_IMG.jpg
 
I too have had a long term wish to cruise in Norway next year- though after cruising this summer in the UK/Ireland and on the whole getting very wet and being stuck in winds, had almost decided to head south instead....

I don't mind cold at all, but continual wet and warm drizzle and my boat turning into a green slimey beast has slightly dampened my enthusiasm for the original intended cruise north....

BUT this thread has rekindled my interest- especially the great picture of ChrisE's boat! hmmmmmmm Snow and cold I can do... might even be able to rekindle my skiing....

What has the weather been like this year on the west coast, Viking (or anyone else?)

And what's a typical winter marina rate for staying there?
 
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