Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Oslo

For one person, living costs are similar in Arlington, VA and in Oslo: $3,582 and $3,430 a month, rent and utilities included.

173

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, VA
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Arlington, VA Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index

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Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,582

/mo nomad

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arlington, VA 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 Arlington, VA and in Oslo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,582 per month in Arlington, VA vs $3,430 in Oslo, rent included.

Arlington, VA $3,582
Oslo $3,430

A couple spends around $5,415 per month in Arlington, VA vs $4,957 in Oslo, rent included.

Arlington, VA $5,415
Oslo $4,957

A family of three spends $7,249 per month in Arlington, VA vs $6,484 in Oslo, rent included.

Arlington, VA $7,249
Oslo $6,484

Arlington, VA costs about 4% more than Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Arlington, VA and Oslo sit above the global median – Arlington, VA by 164%, Oslo by 153%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.99 $23.99

$21.32 NOK 201

12.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$126 NOK 1,185

-20.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.93 $10.93

$16.06 NOK 151

-31.94%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$6.04 NOK 56.8

-4.30%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$4.40 NOK 41.42

-32.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.47 NOK 32.64

-29.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$11.70 NOK 110

-30.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.81 $8.81

$12.51 NOK 118

-29.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.53 NOK 23.82

-50.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.35 NOK 40.98

0.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$4.67 NOK 43.94

11.56%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$6.08 NOK 57.3

-16.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.53 $21.53

$15.19 NOK 143

41.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.69 $15.69

$15.74 NOK 148

-0.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.56 $22.56

$32.13 NOK 302

-29.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.35 NOK 31.52

66.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.66 NOK 25.05

-29.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$3.57 NOK 33.65

27.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$5.80 NOK 54.6

-0.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.73 NOK 25.66

19.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.97 NOK 27.97

26.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.19 NOK 29.99

-29.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.39 NOK 22.47

2.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$19.26 NOK 181

-49.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.20 $17.20

$16.49 NOK 155

4.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.48 NOK 32.80

-18.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.18 NOK 39.38

-32.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 $2.74

$4.74 NOK 44.66

-42.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$121 $121

$83.8 NOK 789

44.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$12.15 NOK 114

-67.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.84 NOK 17.28

-34.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.92 $24.92

$69.8 NOK 657

-64.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.46 NOK 23.15

-57.32%

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$48.8K NOK 459.3K

-40.23%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$44.4K NOK 418.2K

-42.20%

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

$162 $162

$422 NOK 3,973

-61.68%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$33.53 NOK 316

53.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$53.7 NOK 506

14.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 $71.4

$60.5 NOK 569

18.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.14 $19.14

$28.62 NOK 269

-33.12%

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 $16.58

$19.99 NOK 188

-17.06%

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

$1,572 $1,572

$236 NOK 2,218

567.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K $35.5K

$15.9K NOK 149.8K

123.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$101 NOK 949

-45.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$60.4 NOK 568

3.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$136 NOK 1,284

-23.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$159 NOK 1,498

2.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,452 $2,452

$2,083 NOK 19.6K

17.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$1,561 NOK 14.7K

28.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,832 $4,832

$3,022 NOK 28.4K

59.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,600 $3,600

$2,357 NOK 22.2K

52.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,750 $5,750

$11.9K NOK 112.4K

-51.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,742 $4,742

$6,865 NOK 64.6K

-30.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,973 $6,973

$4,771 NOK 44.9K

46.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.94

37.45%

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

Last update for Arlington, VA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Oslo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, VA

$2K 56.1%

Oslo

$1.6K 45.5% 22.3% $448

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, VA

$504 14.1%

Oslo

$523 15.2% 3.7% $19

Eating Out

Arlington, VA

$374 10.4%

Oslo

$406 11.8% 8.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, VA

$275 7.7%

Oslo

$509 14.9% 85.3% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, VA

$173 4.8%

Oslo

$205 6% 19% $33

Getting Around

Arlington, VA

$142 4%

Oslo

$124 3.6% 12.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, VA

$105 2.9%

Oslo

$100 2.9% 4% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,452 in Arlington, VA versus $2,083 in Oslo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 46% higher in Arlington, VA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Arlington, VA versus $126 in Oslo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $504 vs $523 – making Arlington, VA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🇳🇴 Oslo

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

15:54 3:54 PM

6 h ahead of Arlington, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

1,098,061 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, VA Oslo 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, VA
Oslo

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

Arlington, VA vs Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, VA costs about 4% more than Oslo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,373 per month in Arlington, VA and $5,144 in Oslo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oslo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Arlington, VA – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Arlington, VA and $126 in Oslo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,582 in Arlington, VA and $3,430 in Oslo. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Oslo costs $3,430 versus $3,582 in Arlington, VA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Oslo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arlington, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.