Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arendal and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,679 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arendal and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arendal and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,679 in Arendal versus $3,986 in London.

Arendal $2,679
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,805 in Arendal versus $5,791 in London.

Arendal $3,805
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,931 in Arendal versus $7,595 in London.

Arendal $4,931
London $7,595

Living in Arendal costs roughly 33% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arendal 98% above, London 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.51 NOK 184

$25.93 £19.45

-24.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 NOK 619

$107 £79.9

-38.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 146

$10.71 £8.03

44.91%

Cappuccino

$5.33 NOK 50.2

$5.47 £4.11

-2.56%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NOK 32.84

$2.97 £2.23

17.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 NOK 30.62

$2.20 £1.65

47.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$9.13 £6.85

26.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.08 NOK 114

$7.94 £5.96

52.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 NOK 21.78

$1.86 £1.40

24.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 32.63

$2.07 £1.55

67.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 NOK 35.56

$2.42 £1.81

56.20%

Eggs

$4.93 NOK 46.38

$5.09 £3.82

-3.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 NOK 139

$12.87 £9.66

15.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 NOK 135

$10.43 £7.82

37.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.30 NOK 314

$16.87 £12.66

97.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.83

$3.11 £2.33

12.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.75

$1.40 £1.05

87.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 NOK 32.74

$3.08 £2.31

12.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 NOK 44.63

$3.27 £2.45

44.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.97

$1.58 £1.19

61.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 NOK 29.18

$1.74 £1.31

78.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.55

$1.40 £1.05

101.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 NOK 21.13

$1.80 £1.35

24.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.67 NOK 166

$23.28 £17.46

-24.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NOK 136

$13.03 £9.77

10.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 35.19

$3.17 £2.38

17.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$4.42 £3.32

-0.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 NOK 34.72

$4.07 £3.05

-9.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 NOK 849

$247 £185

-63.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$5.58 £4.18

9.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 16.03

$3.36 £2.52

-49.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$105 NOK 986

$56.8 £42.57

84.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.31

$2.13 £1.60

6.10%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

$38.2K £28.6K

26.39%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

$40.9K £30.7K

0.23%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$252 NOK 2,372

$372 £279

-32.29%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$34.68 NOK 326

$17.82 £13.37

94.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.7 NOK 751

$40.37 £30.29

97.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 NOK 345

$60.0 £44.99

-38.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 NOK 145

$17.74 £13.31

-13.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$314 NOK 2,952

$2,864 £2,149

-89.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

$35.3K £26.5K

-60.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 NOK 1,176

$114 £85.5

9.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.59 NOK 410

$54.3 £40.71

-19.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 NOK 1,165

$124 £93.2

-0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,922

$163 £122

25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

$2,869 £2,152

-61.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 NOK 9,783

$2,233 £1,675

-53.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

$5,266 £3,950

-70.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

$3,778 £2,834

-61.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

$18.3K £13.8K

-77.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

$8,024 £6,019

-60.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

$5,037 £3,778

-17.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

4.74

-1.27%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arendal: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arendal

$1K 38.8%

London

$2.2K 56% 115% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Arendal

$488 18.2%

London

$349 8.8% 28.4% $139

Eating Out

Arendal

$375 14%

London

$388 9.7% 3.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arendal

$366 13.7%

London

$430 10.8% 17.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Arendal

$223 8.3%

London

$205 5.1% 8.2% $18

Getting Around

Arendal

$120 4.5%

London

$285 7.2% 139% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Arendal

$67 2.5%

London

$95 2.4% 41.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Arendal and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 21% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Arendal vs $107 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $488 vs $349, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Arendal

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

15:43 3:43 PM

1 h behind Arendal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,406

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arendal London 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arendal
London

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arendal vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arendal and London differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($2,679 vs $3,986 including rent). Arendal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,109 in Arendal versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $314 in Arendal versus $2,864 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in London pay roughly 40% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,679 in Arendal versus $3,986 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Arendal but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Arendal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Arendal and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Arendal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.