Living in Kristiansand

In Kristiansand, unemployment is 1.9% (2026).

The unemployment rate was 1.9% in June 2026. For Kristiansand, the foreign population count was 24,825 at the start of 2026. A monthly estimate placed internet service at €48 in December 2022.

Last checked 2026-09-1728 sources

Population119,287people1 Jan 2026Official source · SSB table 07459 — Population by region, 1 January 2026

Median gross salary (region)4,686EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · data.ssb.no

Unemployment rate1.9%country median 1.7% — 12% aboveOfficial source · NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026

Recorded crime8,170incidents per 100,000country median 4,460 — 83% aboveOfficial source · data.ssb.no

PM2.5, annual mean7.91µg/m³country median 6.3 — 26% aboveOfficial source · Official PM2.5 2025 calendar-year station aggregate for exact in-kommune background station input(s).

Which Norway-wide rules apply when you move to Kristiansand?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in NorwayNational rates and thresholds that apply in Kristiansand.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Kristiansand. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€313

Utilities, 85 m² flat€193

Transport pass€75

Internet, 60 Mbps€48

Fitness club€35

Mobile plan, 10 GB€27

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Net rent across major citiesKristiansand highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Trondheim€21.79

Bergen€20.40

Stavanger€19.55

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	35.47 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²⁵Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	47.71 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²⁵Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	312.9 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²⁵Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	14.55 EUR	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²⁵Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	26.94 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Cost of Living in Kristiansand. Jun 2026. Prices in Kristiansand²⁴Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass	74.72 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²⁵Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	193.1 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²⁵Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings	1,229 dwellings	31 Dec 2025	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁸Official

Is Kristiansand a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker66%strong on work, weak on safety · range 58–74%

Skilled employee70%strong on work, weak on safety · range 62–78%

Student46%strong on education, weak on safety · range 39–53%

Family51%strong on family, weak on cost · range 44–58%

Retirement47%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 38–56%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Kristiansand?

The unemployment rate is 1.9 % (June 2026). Source: NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026⁸

Unemployment across cities in NorwayUnemployment in Kristiansand is 1.9%. Of 177 cities with data, 60 have unemployment of 1.5 to under 2%.

0.5–11–1.51.5–22–2.52.5–33–3.5

Kristiansand 1.9%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fibre coverage	92 %	31 Dec 2025	Nkom (Nasjonal kommunikasjonsmyndighet)⁹Official
Median gross salary (regional)	4,686 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	data.ssb.no¹Official
Unemployment rate	1.9 %country median 1.7%	30 Jun 2026	NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026⁸Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Kristiansand. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

NAV employment service — Public employment service

Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)

Job Search

Search jobs

Open the Norway service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Kristiansand. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Children aged 3–6 enrolled in childcare	93 %	31 Dec 2024	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁹Official
International schools	3 schools	31 Dec 2025	Utdanningsdirektoratet²¹Official
Schools	30 schools	31 Dec 2025	Utdanningsdirektoratet²²Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: særskilt norskopplæring (adapted Norwegian language education). How to enrol a child (regjeringen.no).

A country-wide rule for Norway; Kristiansand's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Doctors per 1,000 residents	4 per 1,000	31 Dec 2025	Helsedirektoratet⁴Official
General practitioners per 1,000 people	0.88 per 1,000	31 Dec 2025	Helsedirektoratet⁴Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	400 per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)²⁰Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Kristiansand when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Doctors per 1,000 residents4 per 1,000Verified 2026-08-27

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Kristiansand?

Police recorded 8,170 incidents per 100,000 (2024-2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: data.ssb.no²

Recorded crime across major citiesKristiansand highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Oslo8,790

Kristiansand8,170

Trondheim6,890

Drammen6,870

Stavanger6,540

Bergen6,410

Fredrikstad6,280

Sandefjord6,140

Lillestrøm5,790

Sandnes5,270

Bærum5,170

Asker4,500

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	8,170 incidents per 100,000country median 4,460	31 Dec 2024	data.ssb.no²Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	1,080 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	NO-SSB-08487-2024-2025¹⁰Official

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public transport score	65 (0–100)	27 Aug 2026	Entur (derived)³Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Kristiansand. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Approved providers for Norwegian and social studies training — State Language Course

Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir)

For adult immigrants needing Norwegian and social studies training.

Norwegian

Open official information

Norwegian municipal introduction programme — Integration course

Municipalities under the national IMDi framework

For adult refugees and other eligible immigrants.

NorwegianIn Person

Open official information

Open the full Norway section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Kristiansand.

Find courses near Kristiansand

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 7.91 µg/m³ in 2025. Annual NO₂ was 9.18 µg/m³ in 2025. Annual PM10 was 11 µg/m³ in 2025.

Is the air quality good in Kristiansand?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.9 µg/m³ (2025) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 7.91 µg/m³ · Official PM2.5 2025 calendar-year station aggregate for exact in-kommune background station input(s).¹²

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

3°-3°

4°-3°

6°-1°

10°2°

15°6°

19°10°

21°12°

20°12°

16°9°

12°4°

7°1°

4°-2°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

147

121

134

170

161

151

JFMAMJJASOND

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.57.9WHO 5 · EU 25

PM1011WHO 15 · EU 40

NO₂9.2WHO 10 · EU 40

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	9.18 µg/m³	2025	Official NO2 2025 calendar-year station aggregate for exact in-kommune background station input(s).¹²Official
NO₂ — latest reading	10.33 µg/m³	15 Jul 2026	Official NO2 latest published hourly observation for exact in-kommune background station input(s).¹³Official
PM10 — annual mean	11 µg/m³	2025	Official PM10 2025 calendar-year station aggregate for exact in-kommune background station input(s).¹²Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	7.91 µg/m³country median 6.3	2025	Official PM2.5 2025 calendar-year station aggregate for exact in-kommune background station input(s).¹²Official
Average January temperature	0 °C	31 Dec 1991	MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt)⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan 3.2 · Feb 3.7 · Mar 6.2 · Apr 10.5 · May 15.4 · Jun 18.9 · Jul 21.1 · Aug 20.4 · Sep 16.5 · Oct 11.5 · Nov 6.9 · Dec 3.9 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station KJEVIK²³Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -2.8 · Feb -2.9 · Mar -1.3 · Apr 1.9 · May 5.8 · Jun 9.7 · Jul 12 · Aug 11.6 · Sep 8.8 · Oct 4.5 · Nov 1 · Dec -2.2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station KJEVIK²³Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 0.2 · Feb 0.2 · Mar 2.3 · Apr 6 · May 10.7 · Jun 14.4 · Jul 16.6 · Aug 15.9 · Sep 12.4 · Oct 7.9 · Nov 4 · Dec 0.9 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station KJEVIK²³Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 147.2 · Feb 98.2 · Mar 87.5 · Apr 64.8 · May 80.3 · Jun 85.5 · Jul 80.6 · Aug 120.7 · Sep 134.3 · Oct 169.7 · Nov 161.3 · Dec 151.4 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station KJEVIK²³Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In Norway: Stavanger ±1.4 °C. Elsewhere: Jönköping (Sweden) ±1.5 °C, Eutin (Germany) ±1.6 °C, Gentofte (Denmark) ±1.6 °C, Lyngby-Taarbæk (Denmark) ±1.6 °C, Rudersdal (Denmark) ±1.6 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

The city covered 645 km² in 2026. Population density was 185 people per km² in 2026.

How many people live in Kristiansand?

The published population was 119,287 people in 2026. Source: SSB table 07459 — Population by region, 1 January 2026¹⁶

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport79.2%
Foreign residents20.8%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Cars per 1,000 residents	506 cars/1000 residents	31 Dec 2025	SSB 07849 Personbil1 sum / SSB 11342 population¹⁴Official
City area	645 km²	1 Jan 2026	SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.¹⁷Official
Foreign-resident share	20.81 %	1 Jan 2026	SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons¹⁵Official
Foreign residents	24,825 people	1 Jan 2026	SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons¹⁵Official
Population density	185 people/km²	1 Jan 2026	SSB 11342 ArealKm2¹⁷Official
Population	119,287 people	1 Jan 2026	SSB table 07459 — Population by region, 1 January 2026¹⁶Official

International community in Kristiansand

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Ancestry or ethnicity

Immigrants; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total	19,674	16.5%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions	13,179	11.1%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand	6,495	5.4%
Poland	1,701	1.4%
Ukraine	1,385	1.2%
Syria	1,334	1.1%
Eritrea	771	0.7%
Iraq	621	0.5%
Germany	611	0.5%
Afghanistan	590	0.5%
Vietnam	577	0.5%

Show 137 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Denmark	561	0.5%
Kosovo	547	0.5%
Russia	546	0.5%
Somalia	536	0.5%
Chile	480	0.4%
Iran	469	0.4%
Sweden	458	0.4%
Thailand	413	0.3%
Bosnia-Herzegovina	408	0.3%
Türkiye	374	0.3%
Lithuania	368	0.3%
United Kingdom	343	0.3%
Philippines	331	0.3%
Romania	288	0.2%
Ethiopia	280	0.2%
United States	251	0.2%
India	227	0.2%
Pakistan	209	0.2%
Serbia	202	0.2%
Iceland	186	0.2%
Croatia	182	0.1%
Palestine	177	0.1%
Netherlands	170	0.1%
Brazil	154	0.1%
Lebanon	145	0.1%
Colombia	142	0.1%
China	141	0.1%
Hungary	139	0.1%
France	138	0.1%
Bulgaria	131	0.1%
Latvia	120	0.1%
Sudan	118	0.1%
Spain	116	0.1%
Cambodia	114	0.1%
Italy	107	0.1%
Portugal	102	0.1%
Finland	92	0.1%
North Macedonia	89	0.1%
Morocco	88	0.1%
Congo	85	0.1%
Greece	77	0.1%
Myanmar	65	0.1%
Burundi	64	0.1%
Nigeria	60	0.1%
Albania	55	0.1%
Kenya	53	0.0%
Mexico	52	0.0%
South Africa	49	0.0%
Estonia	47	0.0%
Ghana	47	0.0%
Nepal	43	0.0%
Australia	42	0.0%
Sri Lanka	41	0.0%
Yemen	41	0.0%
Canada	41	0.0%
Uganda	40	0.0%
Bangladesh	39	0.0%
Slovakia	37	0.0%
Czech Republic	36	0.0%
Indonesia	36	0.0%
Saudi Arabia	36	0.0%
Japan	35	0.0%
Algeria	34	0.0%
Rwanda	34	0.0%
Kazakhstan	34	0.0%
Moldova	33	0.0%
Tunisia	33	0.0%
Peru	32	0.0%
South Korea	30	0.0%
Venezuela	29	0.0%
Cuba	28	0.0%
Belgium	27	0.0%
Belarus	27	0.0%
Angola	27	0.0%
Liberia	27	0.0%
Georgia	26	0.0%
Egypt	25	0.0%
Switzerland	24	0.0%
Uzbekistan	24	0.0%
Ireland	23	0.0%
Libya	22	0.0%
Tanzania	22	0.0%
Montenegro	21	0.0%
United Arab Emirates	21	0.0%
Israel	21	0.0%
Ecuador	21	0.0%
Austria	20	0.0%
Jordan	18	0.0%
Argentina	16	0.0%
Zimbabwe	15	0.0%
Bolivia	15	0.0%
Armenia	13	0.0%
Faroe Islands	12	0.0%
Cape Verde	12	0.0%
Azerbaijan	12	0.0%
Kuwait	12	0.0%
Malaysia	12	0.0%
Slovenia	11	0.0%
Tajikistan	11	0.0%
New Zealand	11	0.0%
Singapore	10	0.0%
Hong Kong	9	0.0%
Kyrgyzstan	9	0.0%
Greenland	8	0.0%
Guinea	8	0.0%
Mauritius	8	0.0%
Zambia	8	0.0%
Malta	7	0.0%
Cyprus	7	0.0%
Uruguay	7	0.0%
Mozambique	6	0.0%
Costa Rica	6	0.0%
Dominican Republic	6	0.0%
Nicaragua	6	0.0%
Trinidad and Tobago	6	0.0%
Cameroon	5	0.0%
Taiwan	5	0.0%
El Salvador	5	0.0%
Côte d'Ivore	4	0.0%
Djibouti	4	0.0%
Liechtenstein	3	0.0%
Gambia	3	0.0%
Congo-Brazzaville	3	0.0%
Madagascar	3	0.0%
Malawi	3	0.0%
Western Sahara	3	0.0%
Namibia	3	0.0%
Niger	3	0.0%
Sierra Leone	3	0.0%
Laos	3	0.0%
Guatemala	3	0.0%
Honduras	3	0.0%
Jamaica	3	0.0%
Guyana	3	0.0%
French Guiana	3	0.0%
Suriname	3	0.0%
New Caledonia	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁵

Ancestry or ethnicity

Norwegian-born to immigrant parents; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total	5,151	4.3%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions	4,251	3.6%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand	900	0.8%
Eritrea	348	0.3%
Kosovo	343	0.3%
Vietnam	329	0.3%
Poland	308	0.3%
Somalia	291	0.2%
Syria	290	0.2%
Iraq	282	0.2%
Afghanistan	230	0.2%

Show 96 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Russia	191	0.2%
Chile	181	0.1%
Bosnia-Herzegovina	158	0.1%
Pakistan	141	0.1%
Iran	133	0.1%
Ethiopia	114	0.1%
Lebanon	92	0.1%
Türkiye	83	0.1%
Denmark	72	0.1%
Romania	72	0.1%
Palestine	71	0.1%
Sudan	70	0.1%
Germany	69	0.1%
Cambodia	62	0.1%
India	56	0.1%
Philippines	54	0.1%
Lithuania	53	0.0%
Serbia	50	0.0%
Ukraine	48	0.0%
Burundi	47	0.0%
Morocco	47	0.0%
Croatia	43	0.0%
Sweden	42	0.0%
Thailand	37	0.0%
United States	35	0.0%
China	34	0.0%
Hungary	31	0.0%
North Macedonia	30	0.0%
Congo	29	0.0%
Myanmar	27	0.0%
Iceland	24	0.0%
Sri Lanka	24	0.0%
Portugal	23	0.0%
Bulgaria	21	0.0%
Albania	20	0.0%
Colombia	20	0.0%
Netherlands	19	0.0%
Nigeria	18	0.0%
Algeria	16	0.0%
Ghana	15	0.0%
Rwanda	15	0.0%
United Kingdom	13	0.0%
Egypt	13	0.0%
Kenya	13	0.0%
Saudi Arabia	12	0.0%
Greece	11	0.0%
Latvia	11	0.0%
Bangladesh	11	0.0%
Kazakhstan	11	0.0%
Brazil	11	0.0%
Yemen	10	0.0%
Mexico	10	0.0%
Tunisia	9	0.0%
Nepal	9	0.0%
Finland	8	0.0%
Moldova	8	0.0%
Guinea	8	0.0%
Liberia	8	0.0%
United Arab Emirates	8	0.0%
Jordan	7	0.0%
Tajikistan	7	0.0%
Cuba	7	0.0%
Italy	6	0.0%
Montenegro	6	0.0%
Georgia	6	0.0%
Kuwait	6	0.0%
Dominican Republic	6	0.0%
Greenland	5	0.0%
Slovakia	5	0.0%
Uganda	5	0.0%
Argentina	5	0.0%
Peru	5	0.0%
Australia	5	0.0%
Belgium	4	0.0%
Estonia	4	0.0%
France	4	0.0%
Czech Republic	4	0.0%
Angola	4	0.0%
Djibouti	4	0.0%
South Africa	4	0.0%
Kyrgyzstan	4	0.0%
Uzbekistan	4	0.0%
Belarus	3	0.0%
Spain	3	0.0%
Austria	3	0.0%
Cameroon	3	0.0%
Cape Verde	3	0.0%
Libya	3	0.0%
Azerbaijan	3	0.0%
Taiwan	3	0.0%
Hong Kong	3	0.0%
Indonesia	3	0.0%
Haiti	3	0.0%
Honduras	3	0.0%
El Salvador	3	0.0%
Suriname	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁵

Ancestry or ethnicity

Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total	24,825	20.8%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions	17,430	14.6%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand	7,395	6.2%
Poland	2,009	1.7%
Syria	1,624	1.4%
Ukraine	1,433	1.2%
Eritrea	1,119	0.9%
Vietnam	906	0.8%
Iraq	903	0.8%
Kosovo	890	0.8%
Somalia	827	0.7%

Show 138 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Afghanistan	820	0.7%
Russia	737	0.6%
Germany	680	0.6%
Chile	661	0.6%
Denmark	633	0.5%
Iran	602	0.5%
Bosnia-Herzegovina	566	0.5%
Sweden	500	0.4%
Türkiye	457	0.4%
Thailand	450	0.4%
Lithuania	421	0.3%
Ethiopia	394	0.3%
Philippines	385	0.3%
Romania	360	0.3%
United Kingdom	356	0.3%
Pakistan	350	0.3%
United States	286	0.2%
India	283	0.2%
Serbia	252	0.2%
Palestine	248	0.2%
Lebanon	237	0.2%
Croatia	225	0.2%
Iceland	210	0.2%
Netherlands	189	0.2%
Sudan	188	0.2%
Cambodia	176	0.1%
China	175	0.1%
Hungary	170	0.1%
Brazil	165	0.1%
Colombia	162	0.1%
Bulgaria	152	0.1%
France	142	0.1%
Morocco	135	0.1%
Latvia	131	0.1%
Portugal	125	0.1%
North Macedonia	119	0.1%
Spain	118	0.1%
Congo	114	0.1%
Italy	113	0.1%
Burundi	111	0.1%
Finland	100	0.1%
Myanmar	92	0.1%
Greece	88	0.1%
Nigeria	78	0.1%
Albania	75	0.1%
Kenya	66	0.1%
Sri Lanka	65	0.1%
Ghana	62	0.1%
Mexico	62	0.1%
South Africa	53	0.0%
Nepal	52	0.0%
Estonia	51	0.0%
Yemen	51	0.0%
Algeria	50	0.0%
Bangladesh	50	0.0%
Rwanda	49	0.0%
Saudi Arabia	48	0.0%
Australia	47	0.0%
Uganda	45	0.0%
Kazakhstan	45	0.0%
Slovakia	42	0.0%
Tunisia	42	0.0%
Moldova	41	0.0%
Canada	41	0.0%
Czech Republic	40	0.0%
Egypt	38	0.0%
Indonesia	38	0.0%
Peru	37	0.0%
Japan	36	0.0%
Liberia	35	0.0%
Cuba	35	0.0%
Georgia	32	0.0%
Belgium	31	0.0%
Angola	31	0.0%
South Korea	30	0.0%
Venezuela	30	0.0%
Belarus	29	0.0%
United Arab Emirates	29	0.0%
Uzbekistan	28	0.0%
Montenegro	27	0.0%
Switzerland	25	0.0%
Libya	25	0.0%
Jordan	25	0.0%
Tanzania	24	0.0%
Ireland	23	0.0%
Austria	23	0.0%
Israel	21	0.0%
Argentina	21	0.0%
Ecuador	21	0.0%
Kuwait	18	0.0%
Tajikistan	18	0.0%
Guinea	16	0.0%
Zimbabwe	16	0.0%
Bolivia	16	0.0%
Cape Verde	14	0.0%
Armenia	14	0.0%
Azerbaijan	14	0.0%
Greenland	13	0.0%
Slovenia	13	0.0%
Kyrgyzstan	13	0.0%
Faroe Islands	12	0.0%
Malaysia	12	0.0%
Dominican Republic	12	0.0%
Hong Kong	11	0.0%
Singapore	11	0.0%
New Zealand	11	0.0%
Djibouti	8	0.0%
Mauritius	8	0.0%
Zambia	8	0.0%
El Salvador	8	0.0%
Uruguay	8	0.0%
Malta	7	0.0%
Cameroon	7	0.0%
Taiwan	7	0.0%
Cyprus	7	0.0%
Mozambique	6	0.0%
Costa Rica	6	0.0%
Nicaragua	6	0.0%
Trinidad and Tobago	6	0.0%
Côte d'Ivore	4	0.0%
Honduras	4	0.0%
Suriname	4	0.0%
Gambia	3	0.0%
Congo-Brazzaville	3	0.0%
Madagascar	3	0.0%
Malawi	3	0.0%
Western Sahara	3	0.0%
Namibia	3	0.0%
Togo	3	0.0%
Bhutan	3	0.0%
Laos	3	0.0%
Macao	3	0.0%
Bahamas	3	0.0%
Guatemala	3	0.0%
Haiti	3	0.0%
Jamaica	3	0.0%
Guyana	3	0.0%
New Caledonia	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁵

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public electric-vehicle charging points	1,100 points	31 Dec 2025	NOBIL¹¹Official
Electric vehicles, share of vehicles	65 %	31 Dec 2025	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁴Official
Children aged 1–5 enrolled in kindergarten	92 %	31 Dec 2024	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁹Official
Registered cars	60,302 vehicles	31 Dec 2025	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁴Official
Public transport operators	Agder Kollektivtrafikk · Vy list	27 Aug 2026	Entur AS³Official
Universities	1 institutions	31 Dec 2025	HK-dir (DBH)⁵Official

Alternatives for people set on Kristiansand

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Vennesla as a Kristiansand alternative in the same region

20 km away, better on 2 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,090 Vennesla vs 8,170 Kristiansand−38%
Unemployment: 1.7% Vennesla vs 1.9% Kristiansand−11%
Median gross pay, region: €4,448 Vennesla vs €4,686 Kristiansand−5%

Full comparison More about Vennesla

Bærum as a Kristiansand alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 242 km, better on 3 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,170 Bærum vs 8,170 Kristiansand−37%
Median gross pay, region: €5,576 Bærum vs €4,686 Kristiansand+19%
Foreign residents: 25.5% Bærum vs 20.8% Kristiansand+22%
Residents: 133,228 Bærum vs 119,287 Kristiansand+12%
Unemployment: 1.9% Bærum vs 1.9% Kristiansandsame level

Full comparison More about Bærum

Cities near Kristiansand

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in Norway

Other cities in Norway to compare with Kristiansand, nearest in population first.

All Norway cities

Bærum133,228 residents Drammen106,013 residents Asker101,509 residents Lillestrøm96,771 residents Stavanger151,669 residents Fredrikstad86,243 residents

How does Kristiansand compare?

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Open the full comparison

Kristiansand in rankings

#6 of 30 in Largest cities in Norway #24 of 30 in Cities with cleanest air in Norway

Put Kristiansand's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Kristiansand?

The published population was 119,287 people in 2026. Source: SSB table 07459 — Population by region, 1 January 2026.

Is the air quality good in Kristiansand?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.9 µg/m³ (2025) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Official PM2.5 2025 calendar-year station aggregate for exact in-kommune background station input(s)..

How safe is Kristiansand?

Police recorded 8,170 incidents per 100,000 (2024-2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: data.ssb.no.

What is the unemployment rate in Kristiansand?

The unemployment rate is 1.9 % (June 2026). Source: NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026.

What is the typical salary around Kristiansand?

The median gross salary is 4,686 EUR/month. Source: data.ssb.no.

How many foreign residents live in Kristiansand?

24,825 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons.

Is Kristiansand a good place to live?

Kristiansand may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Kristiansand?

Vennesla, Lillesand are near Kristiansand. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people are in the Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions ancestry or ethnicity group in Kristiansand?

The official ancestry or ethnicity distribution records 13,179 people (11.1%) in the source-defined population for 2026-01-01. This is a ancestry or ethnicity measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Kristiansand, Norway: population, rent, salary, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 91a200045703686da7c9023297df3fa8]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/kristiansand/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kristiansand-norway-population-rent-salary-jobs-safety_1539dbcf1bfd,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kristiansand, Norway: population, rent, salary, jobs, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {91a200045703686da7c9023297df3fa8},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/kristiansand/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Kristiansand, Norway: population, rent, salary, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/kristiansand/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 91a200045703686da7c9023297df3fa8; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

data.ssb.no data.ssb.no · checked 2026-08-27
data.ssb.no data.ssb.no · checked 2026-08-27
Entur AS developer.entur.org · checked 2026-06-12
Helsedirektoratet helsedirektoratet.no · checked 2026-06-12
HK-dir (DBH) dbh.hkdir.no · checked 2026-06-12
MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt) frost.met.no · checked 2026-06-12
NAV nav.no · checked 2026-06-12
NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026 NAV HL301 · nav.no · checked 2026-07-26
Nkom (Nasjonal kommunikasjonsmyndighet) nkom.no · checked 2026-06-12
NO-SSB-08487-2024-2025 ssb.no · checked 2026-09-15

Show 18 more sources

NOBIL nobil.no · checked 2026-06-12
Official NO2 2025 calendar-year station aggregate for exact in-kommune background station input(s). api-luftmalinger.miljodirektoratet.no · checked 2026-07-15
Official NO2 latest published hourly observation for exact in-kommune background station input(s). api-luftmalinger.miljodirektoratet.no · checked 2026-07-15
SSB 07849 Personbil1 sum / SSB 11342 population data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-15
SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-15
SSB table 07459 — Population by region, 1 January 2026 SSB table 07459 · data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year. data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12
Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12
Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12
Utdanningsdirektoratet udir.no · checked 2026-06-12
Utdanningsdirektoratet udir.no · checked 2026-06-12
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station KJEVIK WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
Cost of Living in Kristiansand. Jun 2026. Prices in Kristiansand numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-27
Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q2415 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q500227 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q90593 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05

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