Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamar and Oslo

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamar: $2,461 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
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Hamar Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index

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Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,461

/mo nomad

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,461 in Hamar versus $3,538 in Oslo.

Hamar $2,461
Oslo $3,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,857 in Hamar versus $5,096 in Oslo.

Hamar $3,857
Oslo $5,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,253 in Hamar versus $6,653 in Oslo.

Hamar $5,253
Oslo $6,653

Living in Hamar costs roughly 30% less than in Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamar 81% above, Oslo 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.67 NOK 201

$21.75 NOK 202

-0.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 NOK 1,201

$130 NOK 1,206

-0.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.21 NOK 151

$16.04 NOK 149

1.06%

Cappuccino

$5.89 NOK 54.7

$5.84 NOK 54.3

0.86%

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

$4.52 NOK 42.00

$4.38 NOK 40.67

3.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 NOK 31.48

$3.35 NOK 31.10

1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.04 NOK 112

$11.65 NOK 108

3.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.70 NOK 80.9

$12.81 NOK 119

-32.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.56 NOK 23.79

$2.61 NOK 24.27

-1.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 NOK 28.82

$4.38 NOK 40.73

-29.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 NOK 19.47

$4.70 NOK 43.68

-55.32%

Eggs

$6.23 NOK 57.9

$6.25 NOK 58.1

-0.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.12 NOK 103

$15.48 NOK 144

-28.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.62 NOK 117

$15.84 NOK 147

-20.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.47 NOK 292

$32.30 NOK 300

-2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 31.23

$3.36 NOK 31.17

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 NOK 25.76

$2.72 NOK 25.31

1.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NOK 28.66

$3.65 NOK 33.92

-15.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 NOK 57.3

$5.96 NOK 55.4

3.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 NOK 23.26

$2.69 NOK 25.03

-7.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 NOK 24.28

$2.85 NOK 26.48

-8.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 NOK 20.39

$3.26 NOK 30.30

-32.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 NOK 18.66

$2.50 NOK 23.22

-19.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.50 NOK 181

$19.21 NOK 178

1.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.93 NOK 157

$16.64 NOK 155

1.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 NOK 33.03

$3.60 NOK 33.45

-1.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 NOK 40.69

$4.23 NOK 39.25

3.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 NOK 43.25

$5.02 NOK 46.65

-7.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.2 NOK 643

$83.5 NOK 775

-17.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.31 NOK 114

$12.39 NOK 115

-0.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 NOK 17.94

$1.84 NOK 17.12

4.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.8 NOK 677

$70.8 NOK 658

2.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 NOK 22.20

$2.48 NOK 23.05

-3.63%

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

$49.6K NOK 460.7K

$49.9K NOK 463.6K

-0.63%

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

$46.3K NOK 429.9K

$44.7K NOK 415.1K

3.57%

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

$230 NOK 2,137

$433 NOK 4,027

-46.93%

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

$34.38 NOK 319

$34.50 NOK 321

-0.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 NOK 512

$55.7 NOK 517

-1.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 NOK 549

$58.1 NOK 540

1.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 NOK 274

$29.79 NOK 277

-1.11%

Cinema Ticket

$20.16 NOK 187

$20.78 NOK 193

-2.98%

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

$217 NOK 2,013

$240 NOK 2,226

-9.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NOK 149.1K

$16.2K NOK 150.2K

-0.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 968

$104 NOK 969

-0.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.5 NOK 562

$61.8 NOK 574

-2.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 NOK 1,264

$135 NOK 1,253

0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NOK 983

$160 NOK 1,487

-33.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 NOK 11.8K

$2,133 NOK 19.8K

-40.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$884 NOK 8,214

$1,645 NOK 15.3K

-46.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 NOK 14.8K

$3,270 NOK 30.4K

-51.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 NOK 14.1K

$2,466 NOK 22.9K

-38.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,359 NOK 40.5K

$12.4K NOK 114.9K

-64.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,609 NOK 33.5K

$7,462 NOK 69.3K

-51.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,415 NOK 41.0K

$4,703 NOK 43.7K

-6.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

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

Last update for Hamar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamar

$884 35.9%

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5% 86% $761

Groceries & Markets

Hamar

$463 18.8%

Oslo

$530 15% 14.5% $67

Eating Out

Hamar

$402 16.3%

Oslo

$407 11.5% 1.3% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamar

$319 13%

Oslo

$524 14.8% 63.9% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Hamar

$183 7.4%

Oslo

$207 5.9% 13.4% $24

Getting Around

Hamar

$110 4.5%

Oslo

$125 3.5% 14% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Hamar

$99 4%

Oslo

$100 2.8% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,270 in Hamar and $2,133 in Oslo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 7% 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: $129 in Hamar vs $130 in Oslo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $463 vs $530 per month, with Hamar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Hamar

🇳🇴 Oslo

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

Same time as Hamar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,059

1,098,061 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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From you

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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

Hamar vs Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,461 in Hamar and $3,538 in Oslo, so Hamar is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Hamar. 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: $1,270 in Hamar versus $2,133 in Oslo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Oslo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,461 per month in Hamar versus $3,538 in Oslo – Hamar is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,461 in Hamar versus $3,538 in Oslo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hamar but tight or insufficient in Oslo. The gap between the two cities makes Hamar 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.

It comes down to priorities – Hamar wins on affordability, Oslo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.