Yeah. I grew up in northern Europe too (actually almost exactly the same latitude as Norilsk), and I agree that Siberia is whole another degree of extreme. Of course there is the climate, the difference of hitting -40 (which was what I've grew up) or -60 (Norilsk) feels pretty significant. Then there is the level of infrastructure; northern Europe enjoys high standards of living and decent enough infrastructure, which arguably helps dealing with the environment. Finally there is the degree of remoteness and isolation; this latitude is roughly 1000km north of the major cities in Nordics (Oslo/Stockholm/Helsinki). In comparison go 1000km in any direction from Norilsk and you are still in the middle of Siberia.

What I find most surprising is the size of the city. 110k people seems quite large for a mining city in the middle of nowhere.