Is high salaries and pay a reason or a challenge for working in Norway?

It is listed as a reason. The data above shows the details; check official sources before deciding.

Where do these numbers come from?

SSB (Statistics Norway), the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) job feed, the World Bank and official legal texts; each table states its source and date.

Jobs in Norway → Why Norway? → High salaries and pay

High salaries and pay in Norway

What people earn in Norway, measured by occupation, with the tax and rent that decide how much is left.

In short: Average gross monthly earnings in Norway were NOK 61,670 in Q3 2026 for all employees (SSB), and Norway ranks 2 of 21 of the 21 countries in GNI per capita (PPP, World Bank). Pay varies a lot by occupation, experience and collective agreement; there is no single national minimum wage, only sector minimums. Compare net pay, rent and everyday costs before accepting an offer.

By AtiveSite · Published 06/11/2026 · Updated 06/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.

Pay by occupation (SSB)

NATIONAL (all Norway) Official statistics Source: SSB table 11658 · Data: Q3 2026 vs Q3 2025

Sort:

Occupation (SSB STYRK-08 group) ⇅	Employees ⇅	Avg. monthly earnings, NOK ⇅	Median, NOK ⇅	Contract hours/week ⇅	Change vs Q3 2025 ⇅
All occupations	2,882,119	61,670	56,070	29.4	+4.1%
Medical doctors	28,175	103,860	100,330	31.5	+3.7%
Nursing professionals	30,738	65,070	64,010	30.7	+2.7%
Software developers	8,539	81,570	78,750	36.1	+5.2%
Electricians (building)	34,386	55,890	55,840	35.2	+4.1%
Plumbers and pipe fitters	20,226	54,260	54,610	35.8	+4.0%
Carpenters and joiners	44,208	49,290	48,710	35.6	+4.7%
Accountants	14,685	77,160	73,080	35.6	+5.0%
Primary school teachers	74,874	60,310	60,690	33.7	+4.4%
Early childhood teachers	34,029	53,250	54,510	35.0	+2.7%
Cooks	24,208	43,990	42,530	27.9	+3.8%
Waiters	28,153	38,780	37,870	18.4	+4.8%
Shop sales assistants	175,376	41,810	42,700	18.1	+4.1%
Health care assistants	96,311	50,730	51,370	24.0	+3.6%
Lawyers	11,597	88,610	82,040	36.7	+5.5%
Civil engineers	26,880	80,970	76,410	36.8	+4.5%
Physiotherapists	6,188	56,630	57,130	32.1	+4.2%
Motor vehicle mechanics	21,669	49,170	49,730	35.3	+4.1%
Painters	8,429	48,160	47,030	35.4	+4.0%
Bricklayers	4,017	51,410	50,000	36.0	+5.2%
Welders	8,410	52,890	51,230	35.7	+4.1%
Security guards	10,945	45,800	43,910	21.5	+4.2%
Hairdressers	8,820	41,990	39,780	30.5	+3.5%
Psychologists	9,595	70,390	67,430	35.2	+4.0%
Social work professionals	15,508	57,420	57,100	30.8	+3.7%
Dentists	3,188	79,030	76,070	31.2	+3.2%
Pharmacists	1,935	66,440	64,550	31.7	+4.0%
Heavy truck and lorry drivers	27,511	49,080	47,370	34.3	+3.7%
Cleaners and helpers (offices, hotels, other units)	63,508	43,100	42,120	22.1	+4.0%
Crop farm labourers	1,736	33,350	29,710	29.3	-0.7%
Livestock farm labourers	880	34,260	32,480	18.5	+6.5%
Fishery and aquaculture labourers	264	39,070	39,160	24.5	+2.8%
Building construction labourers	7,658	43,770	43,840	30.7	+3.7%
Construction supervisors	13,251	69,710	66,670	36.1	+4.7%
Financial and investment advisers	9,945	82,240	75,000	36.1	+4.9%
Financial analysts	17,329	82,280	75,830	35.7	+4.1%
Electrical engineers	4,817	86,200	83,330	36.8	+2.8%
Mechanical engineers	5,073	87,650	85,550	36.8	+3.0%
Industrial and production engineers	1,135	73,800	66,660	36.9	+4.3%
Power production plant operators	1,686	74,790	70,960	35.3	+2.6%
Domestic housekeepers	235	50,260	51,090	27.2	+3.7%
Hotel receptionists	13,221	39,510	39,120	22.9	+4.5%
Hotel managers	782	59,030	53,410	34.8	+2.4%
Field crop and vegetable growers	238	39,590	35,000	23.8	-2.0%
Livestock and dairy producers	3,728	39,120	38,400	17.4	+3.7%
Domestic cleaners and helpers	464	41,690	40,000	18.6	+3.9%
Building frame and related trades workers (n.e.c.)	7,114	49,540	47,520	34.9	+5.1%

Gross monthly earnings before tax, all employees in Norway (not specific to this place), as defined by SSB. The occupation list is a selection, not the full catalogue. Averages hide big differences by employer, experience and collective agreement. Contract hours include part-time employees.

All occupations61,670

Medical doctors103,860

Nursing professionals65,070

Software developers81,570

Electricians (building)55,890

Plumbers and pipe fitters54,260

Carpenters and joiners49,290

Accountants77,160

Primary school teachers60,310

Early childhood teachers53,250

Cooks43,990

Waiters38,780

Shop sales assistants41,810

Health care assistants50,730

From gross to net, and what is left after rent

NATIONAL pay + OSLO rent Estimate (method below) Source: SSB 11658, SSB 09895, 2026 tax rules · Data: 2026

Sort:

Occupation (national average pay) ⇅	Gross / month, NOK ⇅	Net / month (est.), NOK ⇅	Total tax + contribution ⇅	Left after avg. 2-room rent, NOK ⇅
All occupations	61,670	45,612	26%	30,352
Shop sales assistants	41,810	32,547	22%	17,287
Cooks	43,990	33,994	23%	18,734
Electricians (building)	55,890	41,896	25%	26,636
Nursing professionals	65,070	47,540	27%	32,280
Primary school teachers	60,310	44,831	26%	29,571
Accountants	77,160	54,395	30%	39,135
Software developers	81,570	56,896	30%	41,636
Medical doctors	103,860	68,846	34%	53,586

Method: gross annual = average monthly earnings × 12; national insurance contribution 7.6%; standard deduction 46% (max NOK 95,700); personal allowance NOK 114,540; ordinary income tax 22% (assumed unchanged; verify); bracket tax (trinnskatt) steps from NOK 226,100 at 1.7%, 4.0%, 13.7%, 16.8%, 17.8%. Ignores pension contributions, union fees, loan interest, deductions, holiday-pay timing and municipal differences. "Left" subtracts only the average 2-room rent in Oslo and Bærum (NOK 15,260): food, energy, transport, insurance and everything else must still come out of it. It is an illustration, not advice.

Norway among the 21 countries

NATIONAL (21-country comparison) Official / international statistics Source: World Bank Open Data · Data: latest available year per indicator

Sort:

Country ⇅	GNI per capita, PPP ⇅	GDP per capita, PPP ⇅	GDP per capita (US$) ⇅
Norway	US$ 107,770	US$ 104,044	US$ 94,594
Switzerland	US$ 101,690	US$ 102,513	US$ 114,769
Denmark	US$ 85,460	US$ 83,218	US$ 76,970
Netherlands	US$ 85,480	US$ 87,320	US$ 73,684
Germany	US$ 78,140	US$ 75,407	US$ 60,496
Australia	US$ 69,930	US$ 71,934	US$ 65,130
Canada	US$ 66,820	US$ 66,746	US$ 55,698
New Zealand	US$ 53,600	US$ 57,350	US$ 49,591
Sweden	US$ 76,090	US$ 72,529	US$ 63,133
Finland	US$ 66,300	US$ 65,884	US$ 56,149
Iceland	US$ 83,250	US$ 83,431	US$ 98,323
Luxembourg	US$ 106,640	US$ 156,542	US$ 147,252
Austria	US$ 77,010	US$ 76,778	US$ 62,930
Ireland	US$ 106,310	US$ 155,089	US$ 131,592
Belgium	US$ 75,620	US$ 74,676	US$ 60,750
Singapore	US$ 135,750	US$ 163,354	US$ 98,814
United Arab Emirates	US$ 81,640	US$ 79,344	US$ 50,274
United Kingdom	US$ 64,210	US$ 64,606	US$ 57,602
United States	US$ 89,490	US$ 90,027	US$ 90,027
Japan	US$ 58,920	US$ 55,422	US$ 35,951
France	US$ 65,110	US$ 63,975	US$ 48,986

GNI per capita, PPP: Norway ranks 2 of 21 (higher is better) · GDP per capita, PPP: Norway ranks 4 of 21 (higher is better) · GDP per capita (US$): Norway ranks 6 of 21 (higher is better). Years differ by indicator and country. Countries are an AtiveSite editorial selection, not a ranking of the world.

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High salaries and pay in Norway

Pay by occupation (SSB)

From gross to net, and what is left after rent

Norway among the 21 countries

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