Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Oslo

For one person, living is cheaper in Oslo: $3,443 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Oslo
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,443
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $3,443 in Oslo, rent included.

  • London $4,086
  • Oslo $3,443

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $4,981 in Oslo, rent included.

  • London $5,816
  • Oslo $4,981

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $6,519 in Oslo, rent included.

  • London $7,546
  • Oslo $6,519

London costs about 19% more than Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and Oslo sit above the global median – London by 205%, Oslo by 157%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Oslo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.62 £20.11
$20.80 NOK 199
27.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 £81.3
$125 NOK 1,194
-13.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.39 £7.85
$15.81 NOK 151
-34.28%
Cappuccino
$5.79 £4.38
$6.03 NOK 57.6
-3.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 £2.27
$4.41 NOK 42.10
-31.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 £1.63
$3.28 NOK 31.33
-34.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.35 £7.06
$11.75 NOK 112
-20.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.84 £5.93
$12.73 NOK 122
-38.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Oslo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 £1.35
$2.46 NOK 23.53
-27.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 £1.56
$4.20 NOK 40.08
-50.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 £1.74
$4.62 NOK 44.16
-50.00%
Eggs
$5.05 £3.82
$5.99 NOK 57.2
-15.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.57 £9.50
$14.83 NOK 142
-15.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.66 £8.05
$15.56 NOK 149
-31.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.13 £12.94
$31.16 NOK 298
-45.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 £2.29
$3.36 NOK 32.05
-9.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 £1.07
$2.58 NOK 24.62
-45.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 £2.31
$3.52 NOK 33.63
-13.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.38 £2.56
$5.74 NOK 54.9
-41.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 £1.26
$2.67 NOK 25.46
-37.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.31
$2.84 NOK 27.08
-39.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 £1.07
$3.15 NOK 30.05
-55.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 £1.35
$2.48 NOK 23.66
-27.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.22 £17.55
$19.09 NOK 182
21.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.99 £9.82
$16.58 NOK 158
-21.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.18 £2.40
$3.35 NOK 32.01
-5.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 £3.33
$4.33 NOK 41.31
1.85%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Oslo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.87 £2.93
$4.84 NOK 46.25
-20.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$250 £189
$82.6 NOK 789
202.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.71 £4.31
$11.70 NOK 112
-51.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 £2.51
$1.85 NOK 17.68
80.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$57.9 £43.76
$69.0 NOK 659
-16.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.54
$2.33 NOK 22.23
-12.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K £28.4K
$47.4K NOK 453.0K
-20.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.9K
$43.5K NOK 415.8K
-6.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Oslo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$376 £284
$415 NOK 3,967
-9.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.88 £13.51
$33.37 NOK 319
-46.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.01 £30.24
$55.1 NOK 526
-27.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Oslo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.2 £46.22
$58.7 NOK 561
4.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.07 £15.93
$28.61 NOK 273
-26.35%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.57
$19.45 NOK 186
-7.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Oslo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,865 £2,165
$233 NOK 2,229
1127.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.7K
$15.4K NOK 147.2K
129.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Oslo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £87.7
$101 NOK 962
15.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.1 £40.87
$58.6 NOK 560
-7.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 £95.7
$134 NOK 1,276
-5.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$159 £120
$153 NOK 1,462
4.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Oslo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,853 £2,156
$2,021 NOK 19.3K
41.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,301 £1,739
$1,576 NOK 15.0K
46.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,201 £3,931
$3,054 NOK 29.2K
70.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,723 £2,813
$2,346 NOK 22.4K
58.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$19.0K £14.4K
$11.8K NOK 112.2K
61.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,881 £5,955
$6,804 NOK 65.0K
15.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Oslo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,818 £3,641
$4,578 NOK 43.7K
5.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.65
4.94
-5.87%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Oslo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Oslo
$1.6K 31.5% $726
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$434
Oslo
$504 16.1% $70
Eating Out
London
$397
Oslo
$401 1.1% $4.5
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Oslo
$514 47.2% $165
Getting Around
London
$288
Oslo
$123 57.3% $165
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Oslo
$201 2.2% $4.4
Sport & Entertainment
London
$97
Oslo
$98 0.6% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $2,021 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 5% higher in London, 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 $108 in London versus $125 in Oslo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $514 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇳🇴 Oslo
🕒 Local time
06:16 6:16 AM
07:16 7:16 AM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
1,098,061 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Oslo 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • 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
London vs Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Oslo compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $3,443 in Oslo – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Oslo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $5,164 in Oslo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Oslo?
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.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 47% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $125 in Oslo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $2,500 budget?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $3,443 in Oslo. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between London and Oslo?
It depends on your priorities. Oslo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,443 in Oslo to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Oslo safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between London and Oslo?
If budget matters most, go with Oslo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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