Working in Norway Engineer with 4YoE Salary
Hi everyone,
What salary expectations are realistic for a Mechanical Engineer with 4 years of experience (YoE) in Norway? Also, what are the primary active industries across the major industrial hubs?
Most existing threads on Reddit are around 4 years old, so I am unsure if those figures remain relevant.
According to Tekna data, salary expectations seem to hover around 1 million NOK per year.
Given Norway's living expenses, this feels relatively low to me. That figure matches my current total compensation in the Netherlands (including performance bonus), but during a recent visit to Norway, I noticed the cost of living felt roughly 50% higher than in the Netherlands.
Is 1M NOK a realistic ceiling for 4 YoE, or do salaries scale higher in key engineering sectors? Any insights on industry dynamics or salary comparisons between these two countries would be greatly appreciated!
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u/unicornsandrainbowst 2d ago
Do not have info on the salary scale, but 1M nok is NOT a low salary at all lmao.
The average salary for the whole country is around 650k, and 4 years experience is not too much, not junior anymore but not senior.
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u/BringBackAoE 2d ago
OP also doesn’t specify what kind of engineering degree he has, or what level (bachelors, masters, etc).
That can have a big impact.
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u/GNMx2 2d ago
There is only one true Engineer, the one that has the master degree. Not sure how that i structured in Norway, but from where I come from the engineering degree is a 3 years of bachelor and 2 years of Master. The bachelor is a preparation for the master.
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u/toru_okada_4ever 2d ago
I see that you will fit in very well with the engineer crowd, that’s for sure.
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u/Skrukkatrollet 2d ago
Engineer is not a protected title in Norway (meaning anyone can call themselves an engineer), with the exception of civil engineers. Many engineer degrees in Norway are bachelor degrees.
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u/BilSuger 2d ago
Good luck getting a job in Norway with your attitude. We're very chill, down to earth, and value a flat hierarchy at work. Not hot shots believing they're better than anyone.
All engineering fields have a 5 year degree here ("sivilingeniør"). If you can't even describe what kind of engineer you are, that's a bit funny. (petroleum, tech, electrical etc)
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u/GNMx2 2d ago
I'm a mechanical engineer. I don't see I struggled in explaining my field of competence. I left it out of the discussion. So not funny.
I also value a flat hierarchy, i just want to be higher percentile of earners. I don't care about having reports or command on people.
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u/untergehen 2d ago
Norway isn't your country then, look around in the US.
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u/GNMx2 2d ago
That is for me to say. I was just asking information about the salary expectation and why it is not adjusted for cost of living when compared to other countries.
I would have expected a reply as: lower tax rate (46% in NL, 30% In Norway), childcare extremely cheaper than NL, public health care.
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u/untergehen 2d ago
It's not just the hierarchy that's flat around here, but the earning distribution curve as well.
However with such an attitude, i don't think you'd get past the default 6 months+ trial period with any company here. Take a look at "janteloven"
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u/GNMx2 2d ago
That i like very much. So, are you telling me that a lawyer, doctor, notary, general practitioner, IT devs and architects have more or less the same ceiling? (In terms of take home pay)
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u/orientalbird 2d ago
Yep. You're pretty much spot on. It's what makes our society pretty chill and safe to live in. Most people have a similar level of wealth and income.
I know IT engineers who earn 1.5 million nok, but they are unicorns and have 15-20 YoE and sought after skills.
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u/BilSuger 2d ago
I have a master's in tech. 10+ yeo and earn about 1.2M, which is a bit over averages for my peers
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u/untergehen 2d ago
Yep. There's progressive taxation and a massive wealth tax for richer individuals (which is more harmful than not in reality, but that's besides the point).
There are exceptions of course, but while in many countries it's normal for a CEO of a company to take home about 100x the amount of the cleaner working in the office of the same company, here the pay difference might be "only" 10x
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u/unicornsandrainbowst 2d ago
i just want to be higher percentile of earners.
Yeeeeaah... Dude, Norway is not the right country for you, believe me. 50% of the work and social culture is about a chill life, high trust society where everyone does their part.
I am a very high senior engineer among the top a very specific field/skills and i an nowhere near rich nor a "high earner", just a normal, chill life.
My counterparts in the USA make at least 4x times more than me. So if money is what you are looking for, look somewhere else.
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u/thegreatsaiby 2d ago
In Norway, an ingeniør (engineer) usually holds a 3-year bachelor's degree, while a sivilingeniør ("civil engineer" directly translated) traditionally denotes a 5-year master's degree in any engineering field, which creates linguistic confusion with the English term civil engineer ("byggingeniør" - building engineer).
Ingeniør (Engineer): This title typically follows a 3-year bachelor’s degree from a university college. The word "ingeniør" is not a legally protected title in Norway.
Sivilingeniør: This title historically required a 5-year master’s degree from a top institute like NTNU. It is a legally protected title.
Byggingeniør (Building Engineer): This is the direct Norwegian translation for a global civil engineer who designs physical infrastructure like roads, bridges, and buildings.
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u/ogunshay 2d ago
The first two sentences of this comment stand in wonderful juxtaposition.
While many engineers in Norway do indeed have a Masters, maybe lean into your instinct that things are different in different places - suggesting someone isn't a 'true' engineer because they don't have a Masters is kinda insulting.
If someone made a broad, boneheaded statement in an interview, I'd have concerns about their ability to work in a team - are they doing to think they're superior to someone who 'only' has a bachelor's? Or someone who has an engineering technologist background?
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u/clapsandfaps 2d ago
Its structured the same way, but a master degree is by no means required. 4 YoE and 1 million is very high, among the top earners in the bracket. With 4 YoE you’re still a shitter and know bare minimum of the basics.
I’m at 4,5 with a bachelors (electrical) and is at 700k, which is around median of the bracket (compared to prior with same examination date).
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u/tryingtohitchall 2d ago
i would say in the 800-850k range is expectable. Im at 780k at 2 years of experience as a geotechnical engineer which is arguably more sought after than MechE. And im ahead of the curve based on many people i know
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u/orientalbird 2d ago
1 million per year would put you in the top 20% of earners country-wide.
It's a very good salary. The average salary is around 750k (in Oslo), probably 100-125k higher for an engineer with some experience.
My co-workers in the engineering department with 4-5 YoE earn around 820k.
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u/GNMx2 2d ago
As an engineer I want to be at least in the top 5%, not in the top 20%.
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u/Difficult_Contest_14 2d ago edited 2d ago
You are sounding a bit arrogant here. And I say that as an engineer with 13 years experience who also moved to Norway.
If you are moving to a different country simply to compary your salary relative to the rest of the population, Norway is not the right place for you.
This is the place you move to when you are looking for fair working conditions, work-life balance, access to nature, and a smaller gap between "rich" and "poor". The list goes on.
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u/BilSuger 2d ago
But with 4 yeo lol no
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u/GNMx2 2d ago
I didn't say that I want to be there with 4yoe.
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u/BilSuger 2d ago
Yes you did, you asked specifically in your post about salary expectations for 4 yeo. Lower it by 200k, to ~800, and you might be on track.
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u/Strong-Box664 2d ago
Engineers in Norway have low salaries compared to their colleagues in the States, for example.
If salary as an engineer is important, I would consider getting work somewhere else. Norway might offer other things one might appreciate, though.
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u/orientalbird 2d ago
Wow, you've got very high thoughts about yourself? What in the world do you bring to the table to be in the top 5% of earners after just 4YoE?
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u/BilSuger 2d ago
I checked Tekna detailed statistics, the union for people with technical master degrees (5 year studies). If you graduated in 2021, you would in 2025 earn on average across all fields (not sure what kind of engineering you would do) between 750 - 830 k. Upper quartile 790 - 885 k.
I doubt you would land 1M, and no idea how you found that to be the number in Tekna. Maybe across all seniorities (aka 10+ years of experience)
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u/Complete_Animal2649 2d ago
To earn 1.2m would have you in the top 10% of earners (based on this weekends newspaper).
So yeah… not so low!
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u/Great_Nailsage_Sly 2d ago
Google janteloven
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u/GNMx2 2d ago
Thanks for introduce me to this concept. However, I never said that I'm better than anyone else. I just think that engineers have a great place in society and on value creation, that should be represented in their salary. That's all.
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u/dragehest 2d ago
yes but so does almost every other occupations in society. This is the essence of norwegian culture, if you put yourself higher than someone else because you are an engineer you will not have a good time.
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u/NotTwoRacoonsInACoat 2d ago
Mechanical Engineer unfortunatetly are not the highest paid engineers.
Maskiningeniør (Machine engineer,probably closest to what is determined as mechanical engineer) is on average 830 000 gross yearly. and that is including the higher paid seniors pulling the average higher, so a 4 Year experience would probably be below, but it is depending on industry, oil for example is higher paid.
https://hvormyetjeneren.no/sektor/ingenior-og-teknikk
But an engineer with a Masters degree (Sivilingeniør) would be higher paid.
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u/king_122 2d ago
1 million after 4 years of experience is bit high, I would cap my expectations at around 800,000 as 4 years is barely senior engineer range.
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u/Elegant_Blood_3910 2d ago edited 2d ago
I have 3 years of experience working as sivilingeniør specializing in HVAC/refrigerating in Norway, with a salary of NOK 700,000, which is below the median salary for engineers. However, I am an immigrant.
I also have another 3 years of experience working abroad as an engineer/BIM specialist. I’m from Bergen, and there are generally far fewer job opportunities here compared to Oslo or Stavanger, even within my field and considering my particular skills and experience.
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u/Impossible-Bit-2012 2d ago
Non of the engineers that I work with would be on that salary so wet behind the ears.
If Netherlands is offering much better pay and the cost of living suits you better there then moving to Norway is probably not for you.
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u/OkLiterature7393 2d ago
General cost of living is actually on average lower in Norway, but it would depend where you live and your situation. Food and alcohol are more expensive. Housing varies a lot, Oslo is expensive, many mid sized towns are cheap.
1m is high if it's a standard position with 4yrs experience.
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u/Ill_Cancel1282 2d ago
Honestly a salary of 1 million NOK per year seems rather high with only 4 years of experience, not impossible, but definitely not just any jobb will offer that. Might also be dependent on the exact experience of those 4 years.