Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandal and Oslo

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandal: $2,746 a month against $3,430 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oslo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

133

Cost of Living Index in Mandal
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Mandal Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index

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Mandal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,746

/mo nomad

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,746 in Mandal versus $3,430 in Oslo.

Mandal $2,746
Oslo $3,430

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,159 in Mandal versus $4,957 in Oslo.

Mandal $4,159
Oslo $4,957

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,572 in Mandal versus $6,484 in Oslo.

Mandal $5,572
Oslo $6,484

Living in Mandal costs roughly 20% less than in Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mandal 103% above, Oslo 153% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.98 NOK 235

$21.32 NOK 201

17.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.4 NOK 917

$126 NOK 1,185

-22.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.46 NOK 146

$16.06 NOK 151

-3.74%

Cappuccino

$6.31 NOK 59.4

$6.04 NOK 56.8

4.47%

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

$5.45 NOK 51.3

$4.40 NOK 41.42

23.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 39.80

$3.47 NOK 32.64

21.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.41 NOK 126

$11.70 NOK 110

14.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.21 NOK 115

$12.51 NOK 118

-2.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NOK 20.54

$2.53 NOK 23.82

-13.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 NOK 34.08

$4.35 NOK 40.98

-16.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 NOK 36.58

$4.67 NOK 43.94

-16.70%

Eggs

$3.05 NOK 28.73

$6.08 NOK 57.3

-49.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.77 NOK 130

$15.19 NOK 143

-9.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.46 NOK 155

$15.74 NOK 148

4.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$35.09 NOK 330

$32.13 NOK 302

9.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 32.60

$3.35 NOK 31.52

3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 NOK 25.34

$2.66 NOK 25.05

1.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 NOK 33.10

$3.57 NOK 33.65

-1.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 NOK 46.23

$5.80 NOK 54.6

-15.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 NOK 23.62

$2.73 NOK 25.66

-8.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 NOK 28.06

$2.97 NOK 27.97

0.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 NOK 14.68

$3.19 NOK 29.99

-51.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 NOK 22.27

$2.39 NOK 22.47

-0.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.25 NOK 162

$19.26 NOK 181

-10.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 NOK 172

$16.49 NOK 155

10.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 NOK 29.31

$3.48 NOK 32.80

-10.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 NOK 27.15

$4.18 NOK 39.38

-31.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.51 NOK 42.47

$4.74 NOK 44.66

-4.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.3 NOK 812

$83.8 NOK 789

2.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.70 NOK 53.7

$12.15 NOK 114

-53.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 NOK 11.12

$1.84 NOK 17.28

-35.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$104 NOK 982

$69.8 NOK 657

49.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 NOK 20.31

$2.46 NOK 23.15

-12.20%

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

$47.8K NOK 450.4K

$48.8K NOK 459.3K

-1.95%

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

$40.9K NOK 385.2K

$44.4K NOK 418.2K

-7.90%

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

$239 NOK 2,246

$422 NOK 3,973

-43.48%

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

$34.04 NOK 320

$33.53 NOK 316

1.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.6 NOK 778

$53.7 NOK 506

53.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 NOK 471

$60.5 NOK 569

-17.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.05 NOK 339

$28.62 NOK 269

25.96%

Cinema Ticket

$21.25 NOK 200

$19.99 NOK 188

6.30%

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

$319 NOK 3,000

$236 NOK 2,218

35.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K NOK 133.9K

$15.9K NOK 149.8K

-10.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 NOK 1,169

$101 NOK 949

23.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.0 NOK 565

$60.4 NOK 568

-0.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 NOK 1,437

$136 NOK 1,284

11.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 NOK 1,850

$159 NOK 1,498

23.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 NOK 11.4K

$2,083 NOK 19.6K

-42.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$997 NOK 9,389

$1,561 NOK 14.7K

-36.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 NOK 18.6K

$3,022 NOK 28.4K

-34.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 NOK 15.7K

$2,357 NOK 22.2K

-29.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,165 NOK 58.0K

$11.9K NOK 112.4K

-48.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,019 NOK 37.8K

$6,865 NOK 64.6K

-41.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,319 NOK 40.7K

$4,771 NOK 44.9K

-9.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.94

6.68%

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

Last update for Mandal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Oslo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mandal

$997 36.3%

Oslo

$1.6K 45.5% 56.5% $564

Groceries & Markets

Mandal

$493 17.9%

Oslo

$523 15.2% 6.1% $30

Eating Out

Mandal

$452 16.5%

Oslo

$406 11.8% 10.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandal

$355 12.9%

Oslo

$509 14.9% 43.4% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Mandal

$240 8.7%

Oslo

$205 6% 14.4% $35

Getting Around

Mandal

$116 4.2%

Oslo

$124 3.6% 7.1% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mandal

$93 3.4%

Oslo

$100 2.9% 8.5% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,207 in Mandal and $2,083 in Oslo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 10% 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: $97.0 in Mandal vs $126 in Oslo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $493 vs $523 per month, with Mandal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Mandal

🇳🇴 Oslo

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

Same time as Mandal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,477

1,098,061 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mandal Oslo 280 km

From you

Mandal
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

Mandal vs Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandal is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Oslo. 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: $1,207 in Mandal versus $2,083 in Oslo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,746 per month in Mandal versus $3,430 in Oslo – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mandal runs roughly 3% less than in Oslo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Mandal is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Oslo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mandal and Oslo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mandal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.