Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harstad and Oslo

For one person, living is cheaper in Harstad: $2,611 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index

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Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,611

/mo nomad

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,611 in Harstad versus $3,538 in Oslo.

Harstad $2,611
Oslo $3,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,888 in Harstad versus $5,096 in Oslo.

Harstad $3,888
Oslo $5,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,164 in Harstad versus $6,653 in Oslo.

Harstad $5,164
Oslo $6,653

Living in Harstad costs roughly 26% less than in Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Harstad 92% above, Oslo 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.27 NOK 131

$21.75 NOK 200

-34.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 971

$130 NOK 1,193

-18.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.97 NOK 147

$16.04 NOK 147

-0.44%

Cappuccino

$6.27 NOK 57.6

$5.84 NOK 53.7

7.36%

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

$3.70 NOK 34.03

$4.38 NOK 40.21

-15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 NOK 29.18

$3.35 NOK 30.75

-5.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.77 NOK 117

$11.65 NOK 107

9.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.04 NOK 129

$12.81 NOK 118

9.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 NOK 23.33

$2.61 NOK 24.00

-2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 NOK 31.10

$4.38 NOK 40.27

-22.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 NOK 28.83

$4.70 NOK 43.19

-33.19%

Eggs

$4.42 NOK 40.61

$6.25 NOK 57.4

-29.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 NOK 104

$15.48 NOK 142

-26.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.31 NOK 141

$15.84 NOK 146

-3.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.97 NOK 386

$32.30 NOK 297

29.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 NOK 39.30

$3.36 NOK 30.83

27.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 NOK 26.38

$2.72 NOK 25.03

5.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 NOK 35.55

$3.65 NOK 33.54

6.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 NOK 43.97

$5.96 NOK 54.8

-19.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 NOK 20.33

$2.69 NOK 24.75

-17.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NOK 20.03

$2.85 NOK 26.18

-23.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 27.55

$3.26 NOK 29.96

-7.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 21.49

$2.50 NOK 22.96

-6.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.41 NOK 151

$19.21 NOK 176

-14.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.93 NOK 146

$16.64 NOK 153

-4.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 NOK 35.82

$3.60 NOK 33.08

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 NOK 44.90

$4.23 NOK 38.82

15.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.17 NOK 56.7

$5.02 NOK 46.13

22.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 NOK 772

$83.5 NOK 767

0.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.98 NOK 147

$12.39 NOK 114

28.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 17.52

$1.84 NOK 16.93

3.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.0 NOK 533

$70.8 NOK 651

-18.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 NOK 21.48

$2.48 NOK 22.79

-5.65%

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

$36.9K NOK 339.4K

$49.9K NOK 458.4K

-25.96%

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

$31.6K NOK 290.4K

$44.7K NOK 410.5K

-29.26%

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

$173 NOK 1,587

$433 NOK 3,983

-60.15%

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

$35.51 NOK 326

$34.50 NOK 317

2.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 NOK 731

$55.7 NOK 512

42.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.72 NOK 457

$58.1 NOK 534

-14.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.95 NOK 339

$29.79 NOK 274

24.03%

Cinema Ticket

$17.75 NOK 163

$20.78 NOK 191

-14.58%

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

$325 NOK 2,985

$240 NOK 2,201

35.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,295 NOK 48.6K

$16.2K NOK 148.5K

-67.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 NOK 632

$104 NOK 958

-34.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.70 NOK 328

$61.8 NOK 567

-42.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NOK 1,115

$135 NOK 1,239

-9.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 NOK 1,563

$160 NOK 1,470

6.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 NOK 13.0K

$2,133 NOK 19.6K

-33.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 NOK 9,673

$1,645 NOK 15.1K

-35.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,352 NOK 21.6K

$3,270 NOK 30.0K

-28.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 NOK 14.1K

$2,466 NOK 22.7K

-37.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,396 NOK 58.8K

$12.4K NOK 113.6K

-48.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,354 NOK 40.0K

$7,462 NOK 68.6K

-41.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,511 NOK 32.3K

$4,703 NOK 43.2K

-25.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

1.21%

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

Last update for Harstad: October 24, 2026

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harstad

$1.1K 40.3%

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5% 56.2% $592

Groceries & Markets

Harstad

$516 19.8%

Oslo

$530 15% 2.7% $14

Eating Out

Harstad

$357 13.7%

Oslo

$407 11.5% 14.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harstad

$288 11%

Oslo

$524 14.8% 82% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Harstad

$178 6.8%

Oslo

$207 5.9% 16.4% $29

Getting Around

Harstad

$134 5.1%

Oslo

$125 3.5% 6.8% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Harstad

$85 3.3%

Oslo

$100 2.8% 16.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,411 in Harstad and $2,133 in Oslo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 34% 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: $106 in Harstad vs $130 in Oslo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $516 vs $530 per month, with Harstad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Harstad

🇳🇴 Oslo

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

Same time as Harstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,119

1,098,061 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Harstad Oslo 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Harstad
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

Harstad vs Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harstad is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Harstad. 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: $1,411 in Harstad versus $2,133 in Oslo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Oslo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,611 per month in Harstad versus $3,538 in Oslo – Harstad is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Harstad is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Harstad and Oslo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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