Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Hamar

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamar: $2,461 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
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Hamar Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Hamar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,538 in Oslo versus $2,461 in Hamar.

Oslo $3,538
Hamar $2,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,096 in Oslo versus $3,857 in Hamar.

Oslo $5,096
Hamar $3,857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,653 in Oslo versus $5,253 in Hamar.

Oslo $6,653
Hamar $5,253

Living in Oslo is roughly 44% more expensive than in Hamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 160% above, Hamar 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 NOK 201

$21.67 NOK 200

0.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$130 NOK 1,201

$129 NOK 1,196

0.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.04 NOK 148

$16.21 NOK 150

-1.05%

Cappuccino

$5.84 NOK 54.1

$5.89 NOK 54.5

-0.85%

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

$4.38 NOK 40.49

$4.52 NOK 41.82

-3.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 30.97

$3.39 NOK 31.34

-1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.65 NOK 108

$12.04 NOK 111

-3.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.81 NOK 118

$8.70 NOK 80.5

47.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 NOK 24.16

$2.56 NOK 23.69

1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 NOK 40.55

$3.10 NOK 28.70

41.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 NOK 43.49

$2.10 NOK 19.39

123.81%

Eggs

$6.25 NOK 57.8

$6.23 NOK 57.7

0.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 NOK 143

$11.12 NOK 103

39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.84 NOK 147

$12.62 NOK 117

25.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.30 NOK 299

$31.47 NOK 291

2.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 31.04

$3.36 NOK 31.10

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.20

$2.77 NOK 25.65

-1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 NOK 33.77

$3.08 NOK 28.54

18.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 NOK 55.1

$6.17 NOK 57.1

-3.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 NOK 24.92

$2.50 NOK 23.16

7.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.36

$2.61 NOK 24.17

9.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 NOK 30.17

$2.19 NOK 20.30

48.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 NOK 23.11

$2.01 NOK 18.58

24.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.21 NOK 178

$19.50 NOK 180

-1.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 NOK 154

$16.93 NOK 157

-1.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.60 NOK 33.31

$3.55 NOK 32.88

1.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 39.08

$4.38 NOK 40.52

-3.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 NOK 46.45

$4.66 NOK 43.07

7.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 NOK 772

$69.2 NOK 640

20.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 115

$12.31 NOK 114

0.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.05

$1.93 NOK 17.87

-4.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 655

$72.8 NOK 674

-2.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 22.95

$2.39 NOK 22.10

3.77%

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

$49.9K NOK 461.6K

$49.6K NOK 458.7K

0.63%

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

$44.7K NOK 413.3K

$46.3K NOK 428.1K

-3.45%

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

$433 NOK 4,010

$230 NOK 2,128

88.44%

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

$34.50 NOK 319

$34.38 NOK 318

0.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 NOK 515

$55.1 NOK 509

1.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 NOK 537

$59.1 NOK 547

-1.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.79 NOK 276

$29.46 NOK 272

1.12%

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 NOK 192

$20.16 NOK 187

3.08%

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

$240 NOK 2,216

$217 NOK 2,005

10.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NOK 149.5K

$16.1K NOK 148.5K

0.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 965

$104 NOK 964

0.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 NOK 571

$60.5 NOK 559

2.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,248

$136 NOK 1,259

-0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,481

$106 NOK 979

51.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 NOK 19.7K

$1,270 NOK 11.7K

68.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 NOK 15.2K

$884 NOK 8,179

86.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,270 NOK 30.2K

$1,595 NOK 14.8K

104.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 NOK 22.8K

$1,517 NOK 14.0K

62.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K NOK 114.4K

$4,359 NOK 40.3K

183.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,462 NOK 69.0K

$3,609 NOK 33.4K

106.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,703 NOK 43.5K

$4,415 NOK 40.8K

6.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

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

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hamar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5%

Hamar

$884 35.9% 46.2% $761

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$530 15%

Hamar

$463 18.8% 12.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$524 14.8%

Hamar

$319 13% 39% $204

Eating Out

Oslo

$407 11.5%

Hamar

$402 16.3% 1.3% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$207 5.9%

Hamar

$183 7.4% 11.8% $24

Getting Around

Oslo

$125 3.5%

Hamar

$110 4.5% 12.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.8%

Hamar

$99 4% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,133 in Oslo and $1,270 in Hamar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 7% 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: $130 in Oslo vs $129 in Hamar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $463 per month, with Hamar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇳🇴 Hamar

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

Same time as Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

33,059

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.81 USD

100 NOK = 9.71 EUR

100 NOK = 10.81 USD

100 NOK = 9.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Hamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,538 in Oslo and $2,461 in Hamar, so Hamar is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% 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 $1,270 in Hamar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Oslo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,538 per month in Oslo versus $2,461 in Hamar – Hamar is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,461 in Hamar versus $3,538 in Oslo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hamar but tight or insufficient in Oslo. The gap between the two cities makes Hamar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

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