Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Skien

For one person, living is cheaper in Skien: $2,336 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Skien

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,336 in Skien, rent included.

London $3,986
Skien $2,336

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $3,267 in Skien, rent included.

London $5,791
Skien $3,267

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $4,197 in Skien, rent included.

London $7,595
Skien $4,197

London costs about 71% more than Skien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Skien sit above the global median – London by 195%, Skien by 73%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$21.21 NOK 200

22.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$103 NOK 971

3.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$15.47 NOK 146

-30.77%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$5.11 NOK 48.11

7.05%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$4.36 NOK 41.01

-31.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.97 NOK 27.96

-25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$11.89 NOK 112

-23.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$12.33 NOK 116

-35.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.11 NOK 19.84

-11.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$3.92 NOK 36.90

-47.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$4.57 NOK 42.98

-47.05%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$5.66 NOK 53.3

-10.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$13.16 NOK 124

-2.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$15.17 NOK 143

-31.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$21.79 NOK 205

-22.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.35 NOK 31.49

-7.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.70 NOK 25.42

-48.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$3.49 NOK 32.86

-11.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$5.95 NOK 56.0

-45.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.24 NOK 21.04

-29.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.78 NOK 26.12

-37.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$3.04 NOK 28.63

-53.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.48 NOK 23.33

-27.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$19.02 NOK 179

22.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$15.76 NOK 148

-17.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$3.35 NOK 31.58

-5.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$4.33 NOK 40.76

2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.26 NOK 30.64

24.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$47.91 NOK 451

415.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$11.13 NOK 105

-49.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.81 NOK 17.02

85.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$70.8 NOK 667

-19.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.27 NOK 21.39

-6.17%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

-19.63%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

-5.67%

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

$372 £279

$93.9 NOK 884

296.51%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$33.89 NOK 319

-47.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$53.6 NOK 504

-24.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$43.10 NOK 406

39.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$15.29 NOK 144

16.02%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$239 NOK 2,247

1099.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

124.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$63.7 NOK 600

78.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$60.4 NOK 568

-10.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$87.9 NOK 827

41.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$153 NOK 1,442

6.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,042 NOK 9,811

175.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$975 NOK 9,183

128.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$1,035 NOK 9,746

408.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$939 NOK 8,841

302.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

439.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

154.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

18.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.37

8.47%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Skien

$975 41.8% 56.3% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Skien

$181 7.8% 57.9% $249

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Skien

$391 16.7% 0.9% $3.3

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Skien

$470 20.1% 34.4% $120

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Skien

$81 3.5% 71.6% $204

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Skien

$164 7% 19.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Skien

$74 3.2% 22.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,042 in Skien. 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 19% 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 $107 in London versus $103 in Skien. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $470 in Skien – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇴 Skien

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

19:25 7:25 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

56,769

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Skien 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Skien

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 Skien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $2,336 in Skien – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $3,504 in Skien. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skien, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 34% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $103 in Skien. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Skien, where all-in costs run around $2,336, than in London at $3,986. In Skien it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,336 in Skien to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Skien. 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.