Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Sandvika

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandvika: $2,607 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Sandvika
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,607
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Sandvika

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 Sandvika actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,607 in Sandvika, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Sandvika $2,607

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $4,031 in Sandvika, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Sandvika $4,031

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $5,454 in Sandvika, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Sandvika $5,454

London costs about 53% more than Sandvika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Sandvika sit above the global median – London by 195%, Sandvika by 93%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Sandvika
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$16.56 NOK 156
56.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$98.4 NOK 927
8.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$21.61 NOK 203
-50.44%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$4.06 NOK 38.27
34.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$2.91 NOK 27.41
2.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$2.35 NOK 22.16
-6.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$8.48 NOK 79.9
7.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$10.69 NOK 101
-25.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Sandvika
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$2.42 NOK 22.83
-23.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$3.44 NOK 32.38
-39.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$3.91 NOK 36.84
-38.11%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$4.85 NOK 45.70
4.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$13.19 NOK 124
-2.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$26.81 NOK 252
-61.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$24.09 NOK 227
-29.97%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$3.40 NOK 32.03
-8.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$2.56 NOK 24.13
-45.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$3.44 NOK 32.34
-10.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$4.81 NOK 45.31
-32.02%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$2.63 NOK 24.77
-39.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$3.19 NOK 30.03
-45.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$2.30 NOK 21.66
-39.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.54 NOK 14.53
16.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$16.05 NOK 151
45.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$18.41 NOK 173
-29.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$3.86 NOK 36.36
-17.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$5.23 NOK 49.19
-15.49%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Sandvika
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$4.04 NOK 38.06
0.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$83.6 NOK 786
195.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$8.15 NOK 76.8
-31.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$1.58 NOK 14.89
112.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.57
$55.2 NOK 520
2.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$2.34 NOK 22.07
-8.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$43.1K NOK 405.7K
-11.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$42.5K NOK 399.9K
-3.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Sandvika
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$269 NOK 2,532
38.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$30.84 NOK 290
-42.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$64.6 NOK 609
-37.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Sandvika
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$64.2 NOK 605
-6.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$37.07 NOK 349
-42.57%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$20.56 NOK 194
-13.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Sandvika
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$307 NOK 2,891
832.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$12.7K NOK 120.0K
177.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Sandvika
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$143 NOK 1,348
-20.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$63.9 NOK 601
-15.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$131 NOK 1,232
-5.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$207 NOK 1,944
-21.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Sandvika
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$1,216 NOK 11.4K
136.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$927 NOK 8,730
140.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,950
$1,953 NOK 18.4K
169.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,834
$1,693 NOK 15.9K
123.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$8,428 NOK 79.3K
117.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,019
$4,390 NOK 41.3K
82.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Sandvika
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,778
$5,488 NOK 51.7K
-8.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
5.03
-5.77%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sandvika: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Sandvika
$927 58.5% $1.3K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Sandvika
$364 15.3% $66
Eating Out
London
$388
Sandvika
$331 14.6% $57
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Sandvika
$518 48.3% $169
Getting Around
London
$285
Sandvika
$116 59.4% $170
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Sandvika
$245 19.5% $40
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Sandvika
$105 10.4% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,216 in Sandvika. 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 9% higher in Sandvika, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $98.0 in Sandvika. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $518 in Sandvika – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇳🇴 Sandvika
🕒 Local time
21:02 9:02 PM
22:02 10:02 PM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
129,572
💱 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 Sandvika 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Sandvika

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 Sandvika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Sandvika compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $2,607 in Sandvika – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Sandvika?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $3,911 in Sandvika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Sandvika?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sandvika, 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 48% 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 $107 in London and $98.0 in Sandvika. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $3,000 budget?
$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,986 in London and $2,607 in Sandvika. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between London and Sandvika?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,607 in Sandvika to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Sandvika 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 Sandvika?
If budget matters most, go with Sandvika. 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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