Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Fairbanks, AK

For one person, living is cheaper in Fairbanks, AK: $3,000 a month against $3,430 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
145

Cost of Living Index in Fairbanks, AK
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Fairbanks, AK Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,430

/mo nomad

Fairbanks, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Fairbanks, AK

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

A single person spends $3,430 per month in Oslo vs $3,000 in Fairbanks, AK, rent included.

Oslo $3,430
Fairbanks, AK $3,000

A couple spends around $4,957 per month in Oslo vs $4,408 in Fairbanks, AK, rent included.

Oslo $4,957
Fairbanks, AK $4,408

A family of three spends $6,484 per month in Oslo vs $5,816 in Fairbanks, AK, rent included.

Oslo $6,484
Fairbanks, AK $5,816

Oslo costs about 14% more than Fairbanks, AK, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Oslo and Fairbanks, AK sit above the global median – Oslo by 153%, Fairbanks, AK by 121%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.32 NOK 201

$25.10 $25.10

-15.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$126 NOK 1,185

$99.1 $99.1

27.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.06 NOK 151

$15.27 $15.27

5.17%

Cappuccino

$6.04 NOK 56.8

$6.07 $6.07

-0.49%

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

$4.40 NOK 41.42

$2.68 $2.68

64.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 NOK 32.64

$2.04 $2.04

70.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.70 NOK 110

$6.83 $6.83

71.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.51 NOK 118

$10.07 $10.07

24.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.82

$1.13 $1.13

123.89%

White Bread (500g)

$4.35 NOK 40.98

$5.38 $5.38

-19.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 NOK 43.94

$4.78 $4.78

-2.30%

Eggs

$6.08 NOK 57.3

$4.36 $4.36

39.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.19 NOK 143

$21.93 $21.93

-30.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.74 NOK 148

$8.66 $8.66

81.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.13 NOK 302

$20.87 $20.87

53.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.52

$7.54 $7.54

-55.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 NOK 25.05

$2.17 $2.17

22.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 NOK 33.65

$6.03 $6.03

-40.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 NOK 54.6

$6.24 $6.24

-7.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 NOK 25.66

$3.57 $3.57

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 NOK 27.97

$3.69 $3.69

-19.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.19 NOK 29.99

$2.78 $2.78

14.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 NOK 22.47

$2.02 $2.02

18.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.26 NOK 181

$12.10 $12.10

59.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.49 NOK 155

$12.20 $12.20

35.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.80

$1.77 $1.77

96.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 NOK 39.38

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.74 NOK 44.66

$1.52 $1.52

211.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.8 NOK 789

$40.60 $40.60

106.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.15 NOK 114

$3.60 $3.60

237.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.28

$2.16 $2.16

-14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.8 NOK 657

$44.97 $44.97

55.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 23.15

$1.28 $1.28

92.19%

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

$48.8K NOK 459.3K

$25.9K $25.9K

88.04%

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

$44.4K NOK 418.2K

$24.7K $24.7K

79.78%

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

$422 NOK 3,973

$212 $212

98.80%

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

$33.53 NOK 316

$61.3 $61.3

-45.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NOK 506

$139 $139

-61.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 NOK 569

$98.0 $98.0

-38.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.62 NOK 269

Cinema Ticket

$19.99 NOK 188

$18.10 $18.10

10.44%

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

$236 NOK 2,218

$1,845 $1,845

-87.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K NOK 149.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 949

$59.4 $59.4

69.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 NOK 568

$39.78 $39.78

51.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 NOK 1,284

$120 $120

13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 NOK 1,498

$119 $119

33.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,083 NOK 19.6K

$1,612 $1,612

29.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 NOK 14.7K

$1,381 $1,381

13.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 NOK 28.4K

$2,580 $2,580

17.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,357 NOK 22.2K

$2,230 $2,230

5.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NOK 112.4K

$2,244 $2,244

431.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,865 NOK 64.6K

$2,000 $2,000

243.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,771 NOK 44.9K

$3,941 $3,941

21.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

6.71

-26.38%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Fairbanks, AK: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 45.5%

Fairbanks, AK

$1.4K 46% 11.6% $181

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$523 15.2%

Fairbanks, AK

$466 * 15.5% 10.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$509 14.9%

Fairbanks, AK

$413 13.8% 18.9% $96

Eating Out

Oslo

$406 11.8%

Fairbanks, AK

$393 13.1% 3.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$205 6%

Fairbanks, AK

$152 5.1% 25.9% $53

Getting Around

Oslo

$124 3.6%

Fairbanks, AK

$61 2% 50.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.9%

Fairbanks, AK

$134 4.5% 33.7% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,083 in Oslo versus $1,612 in Fairbanks, AK. 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 21% higher in Oslo, 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 $126 in Oslo versus $99.0 in Fairbanks, AK. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $523 vs $466 – making Fairbanks, AK the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇺🇸 Fairbanks, AK

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

07:04 7:04 AM

10 h behind Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

32,515

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

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Between locations

Oslo Fairbanks, AK 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Oslo
Fairbanks, AK

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 Fairbanks, AK: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oslo is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,144 per month in Oslo and $4,500 in Fairbanks, AK. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 12% more in Oslo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $126 in Oslo and $99.0 in Fairbanks, AK. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,430 in Oslo and $3,000 in Fairbanks, AK. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Fairbanks, AK – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Fairbanks, AK. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oslo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.