Rana Municipality stretches out over a vast geographical area, but more than 70% of its inhabitants live in the town of Mo i Rana. There is a mix of villas, blocks and apartments. Most gardens are quite generous in size, and gives the opportunity to grow one´s own vegetable, fruits and berries. New building projects are in planning, and there are also available land plots facing the mountains or the sea. The town has well-connected cycle and walking paths. For the people who prefer to live adjacent municipalities such as Nesna, Lurøy and Hemnes, Mo i Rana is also easily reachable by car or by bus. Most inhabitants also own countryside cottages for holidays and week-end escapes.

The largest hospital in Helgeland is situated here, with a broad range of health disciplines. The National Library of Norway´s department in Mo i Rana is internationally renowned for digitalisation of cultural heritage, collaborating with prestigious libraries world-wide. Mo i Rana has a flourishing IT environment; from Skatteetaten (the Norwegian Tax Administration), Statens innkrevingssentral (the Norwegian National Collection Agency), Evry, producing and monitoring fraud prevention for all credit cards in Northern Europe, to TAG Sensors, producing temperature sensors with tracking for the food industry world-wide.

Mo i Rana has a rich and vast range of leisure activities for all ages and interests. Many people here have an active outdoor lifestyle, and there are hiking, kayaking and cycling groups, in addition to fly-fishing courses, golf clubs, skijumping, ice-skating, a bowling club, martial arts and sports complexes for handball, gymnastics, football, badminton, ping pong, in addition to swimming facilities. Mo i Rana has an active motor sport environment, housing The Arctic Circle Raceway, the world´s Northern-most race circuit of its kind. Norwegians are keen skiers, and Mo i Rana has alpine and ski jumping facilities, and cross-country slopes within the city limits. 

The city has enhanced its recreational offerings with the opening of Max Arena in November 2023, a versatile facility that among other things features a climbing and bouldering gym, indoor soccer fields, and squash courts.