Consumption Research Norway (SIFO) is a non-bias governmental institute that conducts consumer research and testing. The board of directors is appointed by the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion which also provides the basic funding. The scientific staff comprises researchers and other highly qualified personnel from social and natural sciences. SIFO’s projects are organized into four categories: household economy, consumer culture, environment, market and politics.
SIFO is the only institute in Norway solely concerned with consumer research, and as such is responsible for developing expertise on the relevant fields. Importance is placed on research as well as the dissemination of information to various authorities, consumer-oriented institutions, research and scientific institutions, and in private industry.
The Standard Budget shows ordinary consumer expenditures for different types of households. Based on households of varying sizes with differences in age and gender, this budget calculates the cost of maintaining a reasonable level of consumption. The budget contains both current expenses such as food, clothing, toiletries, etc. and expenses for less frequent purchases such as furniture and electrical appliances.
You can also use the online budget calculator to calculate your family’s projected expenses based on the number of people in your household and their ages.
Please note that this budget calculates the cost of maintaining a reasonable level of consumption.