Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arendal and Oslo

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,679 a month against $3,427 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index

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Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arendal and in Oslo

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 Oslo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,679 in Arendal versus $3,427 in Oslo.

Arendal $2,679
Oslo $3,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,805 in Arendal versus $4,942 in Oslo.

Arendal $3,805
Oslo $4,942

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,931 in Arendal versus $6,457 in Oslo.

Arendal $4,931
Oslo $6,457

Living in Arendal costs roughly 22% less than in Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arendal 98% above, Oslo 154% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.51 NOK 184

$20.56 NOK 194

-5.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 NOK 619

$126 NOK 1,185

-47.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 146

$15.56 NOK 146

-0.26%

Cappuccino

$5.33 NOK 50.2

$5.83 NOK 54.9

-8.58%

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

$3.49 NOK 32.84

$4.32 NOK 40.70

-19.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 NOK 30.62

$3.33 NOK 31.39

-2.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$11.46 NOK 108

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.08 NOK 114

$12.30 NOK 116

-1.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 NOK 21.78

$2.45 NOK 23.11

-5.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 32.63

$4.20 NOK 39.55

-17.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 NOK 35.56

$4.76 NOK 44.80

-20.59%

Eggs

$4.93 NOK 46.38

$5.79 NOK 54.5

-14.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 NOK 139

$14.59 NOK 137

1.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 NOK 135

$15.42 NOK 145

-6.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.30 NOK 314

$31.00 NOK 292

7.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.83

$3.34 NOK 31.43

4.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.75

$2.66 NOK 25.05

-1.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 NOK 32.74

$3.39 NOK 31.95

2.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 NOK 44.63

$5.76 NOK 54.3

-17.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.97

$2.70 NOK 25.43

-5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 NOK 29.18

$2.87 NOK 26.99

8.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.55

$3.18 NOK 29.90

-11.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 NOK 21.13

$2.35 NOK 22.17

-4.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.67 NOK 166

$19.05 NOK 179

-7.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NOK 136

$16.27 NOK 153

-11.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 35.19

$3.48 NOK 32.79

7.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$4.15 NOK 39.09

5.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 NOK 34.72

$4.70 NOK 44.24

-21.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 NOK 849

$80.2 NOK 755

12.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$12.10 NOK 114

-49.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 16.03

$1.80 NOK 16.94

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$105 NOK 986

$69.3 NOK 652

51.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.31

$2.35 NOK 22.10

-3.83%

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

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

$48.1K NOK 453.1K

0.27%

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

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

$43.8K NOK 412.4K

-6.42%

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

$252 NOK 2,372

$425 NOK 3,999

-40.68%

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

$34.68 NOK 326

$33.77 NOK 318

2.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.7 NOK 751

$53.7 NOK 505

48.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 NOK 345

$59.8 NOK 563

-38.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.20 NOK 275

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 NOK 145

$20.11 NOK 189

-23.52%

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

$314 NOK 2,952

$238 NOK 2,237

31.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

$15.5K NOK 145.6K

-10.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 NOK 1,176

$101 NOK 949

23.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.59 NOK 410

$58.8 NOK 554

-25.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 NOK 1,165

$135 NOK 1,271

-8.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,922

$157 NOK 1,474

30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

$2,018 NOK 19.0K

-45.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 NOK 9,783

$1,587 NOK 14.9K

-34.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

$2,978 NOK 28.0K

-47.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

$2,397 NOK 22.6K

-39.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

$11.7K NOK 110.2K

-64.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

$6,719 NOK 63.3K

-53.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

$4,687 NOK 44.1K

-11.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

4.94

-5.26%

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

Last update for Arendal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Oslo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arendal

$1K 38.8%

Oslo

$1.6K 46.3% 52.7% $548

Groceries & Markets

Arendal

$488 18.2%

Oslo

$511 14.9% 4.7% $23

Eating Out

Arendal

$375 14%

Oslo

$394 11.5% 4.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arendal

$366 13.7%

Oslo

$512 15% 39.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Arendal

$223 8.3%

Oslo

$203 5.9% 9.1% $20

Getting Around

Arendal

$120 4.5%

Oslo

$120 3.5% 0.5% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Arendal

$67 2.5%

Oslo

$100 2.9% 48.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Arendal and $2,018 in Oslo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 13% 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 $126 in Oslo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $511 per month, with Arendal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Arendal

🇳🇴 Oslo

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

Same time as Arendal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,406

1,098,061 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arendal and Oslo differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,679 vs $3,427 including rent). Arendal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Oslo. 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 $2,018 in Oslo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $314 in Arendal versus $238 in Oslo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Oslo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,679 in Arendal versus $3,427 in Oslo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Arendal but tight or insufficient in Oslo. 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 Oslo 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 28% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.