Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Fredrikstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Fredrikstad: $3,016 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oslo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

170

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
145

Cost of Living Index in Fredrikstad
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Fredrikstad Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Fredrikstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,016

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Fredrikstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,538 in Oslo versus $3,016 in Fredrikstad.

Oslo $3,538
Fredrikstad $3,016

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,096 in Oslo versus $4,416 in Fredrikstad.

Oslo $5,096
Fredrikstad $4,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,653 in Oslo versus $5,815 in Fredrikstad.

Oslo $6,653
Fredrikstad $5,815

Living in Oslo is roughly 17% more expensive than in Fredrikstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 160% above, Fredrikstad 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 NOK 202

$23.12 NOK 215

-5.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$130 NOK 1,206

$137 NOK 1,275

-5.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.04 NOK 149

$12.98 NOK 121

23.57%

Cappuccino

$5.84 NOK 54.3

$6.68 NOK 62.0

-12.57%

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

$4.38 NOK 40.67

$5.65 NOK 52.5

-22.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.10

$4.66 NOK 43.28

-28.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.65 NOK 108

$12.23 NOK 114

-4.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.81 NOK 119

$9.93 NOK 92.3

29.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 NOK 24.27

$2.33 NOK 21.67

12.02%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 NOK 40.73

$4.52 NOK 41.97

-3.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 NOK 43.68

$3.68 NOK 34.23

27.72%

Eggs

$6.25 NOK 58.1

$6.21 NOK 57.7

0.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 NOK 144

$13.42 NOK 125

15.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.84 NOK 147

$18.35 NOK 170

-13.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.30 NOK 300

$36.42 NOK 338

-11.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 31.17

$3.31 NOK 30.75

1.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.31

$3.56 NOK 33.07

-23.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 NOK 33.92

$4.36 NOK 40.47

-16.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 NOK 55.4

$5.24 NOK 48.67

13.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 NOK 25.03

$2.64 NOK 24.57

1.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.48

$2.76 NOK 25.66

3.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 NOK 30.30

$2.91 NOK 27.06

12.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 NOK 23.22

$2.44 NOK 22.63

2.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.21 NOK 178

$16.25 NOK 151

18.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 NOK 155

$22.99 NOK 214

-27.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.60 NOK 33.45

$3.45 NOK 32.04

4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 39.25

$4.31 NOK 40.05

-1.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 NOK 46.65

$4.26 NOK 39.57

17.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 NOK 775

$67.8 NOK 630

23.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 115

$12.70 NOK 118

-2.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.12

$1.92 NOK 17.84

-4.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 658

$72.9 NOK 677

-2.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 23.05

$2.44 NOK 22.64

1.64%

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

$49.9K NOK 463.6K

$47.4K NOK 440.2K

5.32%

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

$44.7K NOK 415.1K

$47.3K NOK 439.5K

-5.54%

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

$433 NOK 4,027

$340 NOK 3,163

27.33%

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

$34.50 NOK 321

$46.31 NOK 430

-25.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 NOK 517

$68.5 NOK 637

-18.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 NOK 540

$59.4 NOK 551

-2.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.79 NOK 277

$42.16 NOK 392

-29.34%

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 NOK 193

$20.19 NOK 188

2.92%

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

$240 NOK 2,226

$172 NOK 1,602

38.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NOK 150.2K

$14.0K NOK 130.0K

15.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 969

$160 NOK 1,488

-34.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 NOK 574

$79.4 NOK 738

-22.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,253

$147 NOK 1,370

-8.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,487

$115 NOK 1,073

38.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 NOK 19.8K

$1,371 NOK 12.7K

55.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 NOK 15.3K

$1,145 NOK 10.6K

43.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,270 NOK 30.4K

$1,867 NOK 17.3K

75.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 NOK 22.9K

$1,531 NOK 14.2K

61.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K NOK 114.9K

$6,388 NOK 59.4K

93.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,462 NOK 69.3K

$4,223 NOK 39.2K

76.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,703 NOK 43.7K

$3,431 NOK 31.9K

37.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

4.95

-0.20%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fredrikstad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5%

Fredrikstad

$1.1K 38% 30.4% $500

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$530 15%

Fredrikstad

$557 18.5% 5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$524 14.8%

Fredrikstad

$455 15.1% 13.1% $68

Eating Out

Oslo

$407 11.5%

Fredrikstad

$426 14.1% 4.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$207 5.9%

Fredrikstad

$226 7.5% 9% $19

Getting Around

Oslo

$125 3.5%

Fredrikstad

$107 3.6% 14.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.8%

Fredrikstad

$100 3.3% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,133 in Oslo and $1,371 in Fredrikstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $130 in Oslo vs $137 in Fredrikstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $557 per month, with Oslo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇳🇴 Fredrikstad

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

Same time as Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

85,267

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Oslo Fredrikstad 81 km

From you

Oslo
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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 Fredrikstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fredrikstad is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Oslo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,133 in Oslo versus $1,371 in Fredrikstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $240 in Oslo versus $172 in Fredrikstad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Oslo pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Fredrikstad 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 Fredrikstad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Fredrikstad wins on affordability, Oslo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.