Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bergen: $3,093 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oslo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

170

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
Learn more

Oslo Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
Learn more

Bergen Living Index

Jump to prices

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Bergen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,538 in Oslo versus $3,093 in Bergen.

Oslo $3,538
Bergen $3,093

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,096 in Oslo versus $4,619 in Bergen.

Oslo $5,096
Bergen $4,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,653 in Oslo versus $6,145 in Bergen.

Oslo $6,653
Bergen $6,145

Living in Oslo is roughly 14% more expensive than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 160% above, Bergen 127% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 NOK 200

$23.85 NOK 219

-8.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$130 NOK 1,193

$141 NOK 1,298

-8.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.04 NOK 147

$16.30 NOK 150

-1.60%

Cappuccino

$5.84 NOK 53.7

$5.62 NOK 51.6

3.91%

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

$4.38 NOK 40.21

$5.19 NOK 47.69

-15.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 30.75

$4.57 NOK 42.00

-26.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.65 NOK 107

$12.92 NOK 119

-9.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.81 NOK 118

$10.71 NOK 98.4

19.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 NOK 24.00

$2.35 NOK 21.55

11.06%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 NOK 40.27

$3.83 NOK 35.21

14.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 NOK 43.19

$3.45 NOK 31.66

36.23%

Eggs

$6.25 NOK 57.4

$6.67 NOK 61.3

-6.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 NOK 142

$14.89 NOK 137

3.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.84 NOK 146

$17.88 NOK 164

-11.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.30 NOK 297

$37.65 NOK 346

-14.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 30.83

$4.10 NOK 37.68

-18.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.03

$2.80 NOK 25.74

-2.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 NOK 33.54

$3.70 NOK 34.00

-1.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 NOK 54.8

$5.54 NOK 50.9

7.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 NOK 24.75

$2.46 NOK 22.64

9.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.18

$3.41 NOK 31.32

-16.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 NOK 29.96

$3.08 NOK 28.28

5.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 NOK 22.96

$1.83 NOK 16.83

36.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.21 NOK 176

$17.65 NOK 162

8.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 NOK 153

$19.73 NOK 181

-15.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.60 NOK 33.08

$3.83 NOK 35.17

-6.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 38.82

$4.44 NOK 40.78

-4.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 NOK 46.13

$5.32 NOK 48.92

-5.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 NOK 767

$89.0 NOK 817

-6.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 114

$12.82 NOK 118

-3.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 16.93

$1.95 NOK 17.94

-5.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 651

$74.9 NOK 688

-5.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 22.79

$2.41 NOK 22.11

2.90%

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

$49.9K NOK 458.4K

$50.1K NOK 460.0K

-0.33%

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

$44.7K NOK 410.5K

$44.8K NOK 411.3K

-0.18%

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

$433 NOK 3,983

$292 NOK 2,679

48.66%

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

$34.50 NOK 317

$33.90 NOK 311

1.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 NOK 512

$85.1 NOK 782

-34.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 NOK 534

$48.43 NOK 445

19.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.79 NOK 274

$44.06 NOK 405

-32.39%

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 NOK 191

$19.28 NOK 177

7.78%

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

$240 NOK 2,201

$251 NOK 2,305

-4.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NOK 148.5K

$12.0K NOK 110.0K

34.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 958

$108 NOK 989

-3.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 NOK 567

$56.1 NOK 515

10.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,239

$120 NOK 1,103

12.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,470

$166 NOK 1,524

-3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 NOK 19.6K

$1,627 NOK 15.0K

31.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 NOK 15.1K

$1,283 NOK 11.8K

28.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,270 NOK 30.0K

$2,668 NOK 24.5K

22.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 NOK 22.7K

$1,928 NOK 17.7K

27.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K NOK 113.6K

$8,228 NOK 75.6K

50.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,462 NOK 68.6K

$5,382 NOK 49.4K

38.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,703 NOK 43.2K

$4,732 NOK 43.5K

-0.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

5.27

-6.26%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5%

Bergen

$1.3K 41.5% 22% $362

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$530 15%

Bergen

$545 17.6% 2.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$524 14.8%

Bergen

$411 13.3% 21.6% $113

Eating Out

Oslo

$407 11.5%

Bergen

$432 14% 6.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$207 5.9%

Bergen

$202 6.5% 2.5% $5.1

Getting Around

Oslo

$125 3.5%

Bergen

$133 4.3% 6.2% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.8%

Bergen

$87 2.8% 12.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,133 in Oslo and $1,627 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $130 in Oslo vs $141 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $545 per month, with Oslo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

Same time as Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

292,482

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oslo Bergen 300 km

From you

Oslo
Bergen

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

Oslo vs Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bergen is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $5,307 in Oslo and $4,640 in Bergen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,133 in Oslo versus $1,627 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $240 in Oslo versus $251 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Oslo pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

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.

Safety-wise, Oslo and Bergen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.