Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Harstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Harstad: $2,611 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Harstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,538 in Oslo versus $2,611 in Harstad.

Oslo $3,538
Harstad $2,611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,096 in Oslo versus $3,888 in Harstad.

Oslo $5,096
Harstad $3,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,653 in Oslo versus $5,164 in Harstad.

Oslo $6,653
Harstad $5,164

Living in Oslo is roughly 36% more expensive than in Harstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 160% above, Harstad 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 NOK 200

$14.27 NOK 131

52.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$130 NOK 1,193

$106 NOK 971

22.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.04 NOK 147

$15.97 NOK 147

0.44%

Cappuccino

$5.84 NOK 53.7

$6.27 NOK 57.6

-6.86%

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

$4.38 NOK 40.21

$3.70 NOK 34.03

18.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 30.75

$3.18 NOK 29.18

5.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.65 NOK 107

$12.77 NOK 117

-8.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.81 NOK 118

$14.04 NOK 129

-8.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 NOK 24.00

$2.54 NOK 23.33

2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 NOK 40.27

$3.39 NOK 31.10

29.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 NOK 43.19

$3.14 NOK 28.83

49.68%

Eggs

$6.25 NOK 57.4

$4.42 NOK 40.61

41.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 NOK 142

$11.37 NOK 104

36.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.84 NOK 146

$15.31 NOK 141

3.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.30 NOK 297

$41.97 NOK 386

-23.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 30.83

$4.28 NOK 39.30

-21.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.03

$2.87 NOK 26.38

-5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 NOK 33.54

$3.87 NOK 35.55

-5.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 NOK 54.8

$4.79 NOK 43.97

24.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 NOK 24.75

$2.21 NOK 20.33

21.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.18

$2.18 NOK 20.03

30.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 NOK 29.96

$3.00 NOK 27.55

8.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 NOK 22.96

$2.34 NOK 21.49

6.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.21 NOK 176

$16.41 NOK 151

17.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 NOK 153

$15.93 NOK 146

4.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.60 NOK 33.08

$3.90 NOK 35.82

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 38.82

$4.89 NOK 44.90

-13.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 NOK 46.13

$6.17 NOK 56.7

-18.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 NOK 767

$84.1 NOK 772

-0.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 114

$15.98 NOK 147

-22.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 16.93

$1.91 NOK 17.52

-3.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 651

$58.0 NOK 533

22.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 22.79

$2.34 NOK 21.48

5.98%

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

$49.9K NOK 458.4K

$36.9K NOK 339.4K

35.06%

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

$44.7K NOK 410.5K

$31.6K NOK 290.4K

41.36%

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

$433 NOK 3,983

$173 NOK 1,587

150.93%

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

$34.50 NOK 317

$35.51 NOK 326

-2.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 NOK 512

$79.5 NOK 731

-29.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 NOK 534

$49.72 NOK 457

16.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.79 NOK 274

$36.95 NOK 339

-19.38%

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 NOK 191

$17.75 NOK 163

17.07%

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

$240 NOK 2,201

$325 NOK 2,985

-26.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NOK 148.5K

$5,295 NOK 48.6K

205.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 958

$68.8 NOK 632

51.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 NOK 567

$35.70 NOK 328

72.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,239

$121 NOK 1,115

11.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,470

$170 NOK 1,563

-5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 NOK 19.6K

$1,411 NOK 13.0K

51.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 NOK 15.1K

$1,053 NOK 9,673

56.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,270 NOK 30.0K

$2,352 NOK 21.6K

39.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 NOK 22.7K

$1,537 NOK 14.1K

60.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K NOK 113.6K

$6,396 NOK 58.8K

93.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,462 NOK 68.6K

$4,354 NOK 40.0K

71.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,703 NOK 43.2K

$3,511 NOK 32.3K

33.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

-1.20%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Harstad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5%

Harstad

$1.1K 40.3% 36% $592

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$530 15%

Harstad

$516 19.8% 2.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$524 14.8%

Harstad

$288 11% 45% $236

Eating Out

Oslo

$407 11.5%

Harstad

$357 13.7% 12.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$207 5.9%

Harstad

$178 6.8% 14.1% $29

Getting Around

Oslo

$125 3.5%

Harstad

$134 5.1% 7.3% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.8%

Harstad

$85 3.3% 14.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,133 in Oslo and $1,411 in Harstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 34% 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 $106 in Harstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $516 per month, with Harstad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇳🇴 Harstad

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

Same time as Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

25,119

💱 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

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Between locations

Oslo Harstad 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Oslo
Harstad

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 Harstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harstad is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 34% 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 $1,411 in Harstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% 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 $2,611 in Harstad – Harstad is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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