Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairbanks, AK and Oslo

For one person, living is cheaper in Fairbanks, AK: $3,000 a month against $3,430 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Fairbanks, AK
🇺🇸 United States
$3,000
/mo nomad
Oslo
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,430
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,000 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $3,430 in Oslo, rent included.

  • Fairbanks, AK $3,000
  • Oslo $3,430

A couple spends around $4,408 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $4,957 in Oslo, rent included.

  • Fairbanks, AK $4,408
  • Oslo $4,957

A family of three spends $5,816 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $6,484 in Oslo, rent included.

  • Fairbanks, AK $5,816
  • Oslo $6,484

Fairbanks, AK is about 13% cheaper than Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Fairbanks, AK and Oslo sit above the global median – Fairbanks, AK by 121%, Oslo by 153%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fairbanks, AK
Oslo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.10 $25.10
$21.32 NOK 201
17.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$99.1 $99.1
$126 NOK 1,185
-21.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.27 $15.27
$16.06 NOK 151
-4.92%
Cappuccino
$6.07 $6.07
$6.04 NOK 56.8
0.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 $2.68
$4.40 NOK 41.42
-39.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 $2.04
$3.47 NOK 32.64
-41.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.83 $6.83
$11.70 NOK 110
-41.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.07 $10.07
$12.51 NOK 118
-19.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fairbanks, AK
Oslo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$2.53 NOK 23.82
-55.34%
White Bread (500g)
$5.38 $5.38
$4.35 NOK 40.98
23.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.78 $4.78
$4.67 NOK 43.94
2.36%
Eggs
$4.36 $4.36
$6.08 NOK 57.3
-28.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.93 $21.93
$15.19 NOK 143
44.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.66 $8.66
$15.74 NOK 148
-44.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.87 $20.87
$32.13 NOK 302
-35.05%
Apples (1kg)
$7.54 $7.54
$3.35 NOK 31.52
125.07%
Banana (1kg)
$2.17 $2.17
$2.66 NOK 25.05
-18.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.03 $6.03
$3.57 NOK 33.65
68.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.24 $6.24
$5.80 NOK 54.6
7.59%
Potato (1kg)
$3.57 $3.57
$2.73 NOK 25.66
30.77%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 $3.69
$2.97 NOK 27.97
24.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.78 $2.78
$3.19 NOK 29.99
-12.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 $2.02
$2.39 NOK 22.47
-15.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.10 $12.10
$19.26 NOK 181
-37.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.20 $12.20
$16.49 NOK 155
-26.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 $1.77
$3.48 NOK 32.80
-49.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.18 NOK 39.38
-
🚌 Getting Around
Fairbanks, AK
Oslo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 $1.52
$4.74 NOK 44.66
-67.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.60 $40.60
$83.8 NOK 789
-51.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.60 $3.60
$12.15 NOK 114
-70.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.84 NOK 17.28
17.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$44.97 $44.97
$69.8 NOK 657
-35.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 $1.28
$2.46 NOK 23.15
-47.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.9K $25.9K
$48.8K NOK 459.3K
-46.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K $24.7K
$44.4K NOK 418.2K
-44.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fairbanks, AK
Oslo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$212 $212
$422 NOK 3,973
-49.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$61.3 $61.3
$33.53 NOK 316
82.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$139 $139
$53.7 NOK 506
159.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fairbanks, AK
Oslo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$98.0 $98.0
$60.5 NOK 569
62.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.62 NOK 269
-
Cinema Ticket
$18.10 $18.10
$19.99 NOK 188
-9.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fairbanks, AK
Oslo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,845 $1,845
$236 NOK 2,218
683.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$15.9K NOK 149.8K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fairbanks, AK
Oslo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.4 $59.4
$101 NOK 949
-41.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.78 $39.78
$60.4 NOK 568
-34.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 $120
$136 NOK 1,284
-11.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 $119
$159 NOK 1,498
-25.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fairbanks, AK
Oslo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,612 $1,612
$2,083 NOK 19.6K
-22.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,381 $1,381
$1,561 NOK 14.7K
-11.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,580 $2,580
$3,022 NOK 28.4K
-14.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,230 $2,230
$2,357 NOK 22.2K
-5.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,244 $2,244
$11.9K NOK 112.4K
-81.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,000 $2,000
$6,865 NOK 64.6K
-70.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fairbanks, AK
Oslo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,941 $3,941
$4,771 NOK 44.9K
-17.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.71
4.94
35.83%

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

Last update for Fairbanks, AK: October 20, 2026

Last update for Oslo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Fairbanks, AK
$1.4K
Oslo
$1.6K 13.1% $181
Groceries & Markets
Fairbanks, AK
$466 *
Oslo
$523 12.2% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fairbanks, AK
$413
Oslo
$509 23.3% $96
Eating Out
Fairbanks, AK
$393
Oslo
$406 3.5% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Fairbanks, AK
$152
Oslo
$205 34.9% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Fairbanks, AK
$134
Oslo
$100 25.2% $34
Getting Around
Fairbanks, AK
$61
Oslo
$124 103% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,612 in Fairbanks, AK 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 21% higher in Oslo, 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 $99.0 in Fairbanks, AK versus $126 in Oslo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $466 vs $523 – making Fairbanks, AK the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Fairbanks, AK
🇳🇴 Oslo
🕒 Local time
06:21 6:21 AM
16:21 4:21 PM
10 h ahead of Fairbanks, AK
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
32,515
1,098,061 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fairbanks, AK Oslo 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fairbanks, AK
  • 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
Fairbanks, AK vs Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Oslo cheaper than Fairbanks, AK?
Yes – Oslo is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,500 per month in Fairbanks, AK and $5,144 in Oslo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Fairbanks, AK, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Fairbanks, AK and in Oslo?
Groceries cost about 12% more in Oslo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Fairbanks, AK or in Oslo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Fairbanks, AK and $126 in Oslo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Fairbanks, AK or in Oslo?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,000 in Fairbanks, AK and $3,430 in Oslo. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Fairbanks, AK or Oslo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Fairbanks, AK – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Fairbanks, AK or Oslo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Fairbanks, AK. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oslo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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