Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Hamar

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamar: $2,380 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Hamar
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,380
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Hamar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in London and in Hamar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $2,380 in Hamar.

  • London $3,986
  • Hamar $2,380

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $3,750 in Hamar.

  • London $5,791
  • Hamar $3,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $5,120 in Hamar.

  • London $7,595
  • Hamar $5,120

Living in London is roughly 68% more expensive than in Hamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Hamar 76% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Hamar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$21.18 NOK 199
22.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$125 NOK 1,180
-15.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$15.83 NOK 149
-32.34%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$5.76 NOK 54.2
-5.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$4.21 NOK 39.63
-29.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$3.28 NOK 30.85
-32.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$11.49 NOK 108
-20.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$8.07 NOK 76.0
-1.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Hamar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$2.50 NOK 23.53
-25.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$2.93 NOK 27.57
-29.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$2.06 NOK 19.36
17.48%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$5.76 NOK 54.3
-11.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$11.05 NOK 104
16.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$12.20 NOK 115
-14.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$31.42 NOK 296
-46.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$3.21 NOK 30.26
-3.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$2.57 NOK 24.17
-45.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$3.05 NOK 28.74
0.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$5.89 NOK 55.5
-44.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$2.48 NOK 23.34
-36.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$2.44 NOK 22.95
-28.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$2.12 NOK 19.97
-33.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.99 NOK 18.74
-9.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$18.94 NOK 178
22.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$16.40 NOK 154
-20.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$3.38 NOK 31.78
-6.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$4.18 NOK 39.37
5.74%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Hamar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$4.66 NOK 43.87
-12.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$67.5 NOK 635
265.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$11.92 NOK 112
-53.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$1.78 NOK 16.76
88.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.57
$69.5 NOK 654
-18.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$2.37 NOK 22.32
-10.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$47.8K NOK 449.5K
-20.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$43.6K NOK 410.2K
-6.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Hamar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$223 NOK 2,104
66.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$33.07 NOK 311
-46.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$54.1 NOK 509
-25.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Hamar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$58.2 NOK 548
3.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$29.40 NOK 277
-27.59%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$19.79 NOK 186
-10.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Hamar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$207 NOK 1,948
1284.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$15.8K NOK 148.3K
124.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Hamar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$102 NOK 959
11.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$59.5 NOK 560
-8.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$131 NOK 1,230
-4.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$104 NOK 977
57.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Hamar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$1,227 NOK 11.6K
133.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$847 NOK 7,973
163.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,950
$1,578 NOK 14.9K
233.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,834
$1,489 NOK 14.0K
153.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$4,302 NOK 40.5K
326.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,019
$3,421 NOK 32.2K
134.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Hamar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,778
$4,269 NOK 40.2K
17.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
4.94
-4.05%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hamar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Hamar
$847 62.1% $1.4K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Hamar
$311 27.8% $120
Eating Out
London
$388
Hamar
$390 0.5% $2
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Hamar
$450 28.7% $100
Getting Around
London
$285
Hamar
$107 62.5% $179
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Hamar
$178 13.1% $27
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Hamar
$98 2.4% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $1,227 in Hamar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 18% 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: $107 in London vs $125 in Hamar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $450 per month, with London cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇳🇴 Hamar
🕒 Local time
17:32 5:32 PM
18:32 6:32 PM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
33,059
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 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
  • London Hamar 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Hamar

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
London vs Hamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in London and in Hamar?
London and Hamar differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $2,380 including rent). Hamar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: London or Hamar?
Average pay runs 18% higher in London, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in London and in Hamar?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,869 in London versus $1,227 in Hamar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in London pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Hamar – a meal for two runs $125 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is feasible on a $3,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Hamar is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between London and Hamar?
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.
Where should expats move: London or Hamar?
Expats usually find Hamar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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