Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Karmøy

For one person, living is cheaper in Karmøy: $2,641 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
Learn more

Oslo Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Karmøy
Learn more

Karmøy Living Index

Jump to prices

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Karmøy

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Karmøy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,538 in Oslo versus $2,641 in Karmøy.

Oslo $3,538
Karmøy $2,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,096 in Oslo versus $4,032 in Karmøy.

Oslo $5,096
Karmøy $4,032

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,653 in Oslo versus $5,423 in Karmøy.

Oslo $6,653
Karmøy $5,423

Living in Oslo is roughly 34% more expensive than in Karmøy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 160% above, Karmøy 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 NOK 202

$21.23 NOK 197

2.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$130 NOK 1,206

$122 NOK 1,135

6.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.04 NOK 149

$16.23 NOK 151

-1.17%

Cappuccino

$5.84 NOK 54.3

$6.16 NOK 57.3

-5.19%

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

$4.38 NOK 40.67

$3.80 NOK 35.34

15.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.10

$2.91 NOK 27.02

15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.65 NOK 108

$11.67 NOK 108

-0.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.81 NOK 119

$11.22 NOK 104

14.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 NOK 24.27

$2.32 NOK 21.55

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 NOK 40.73

$3.87 NOK 35.94

13.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 NOK 43.68

$3.37 NOK 31.29

39.47%

Eggs

$6.25 NOK 58.1

$4.39 NOK 40.75

42.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 NOK 144

$12.31 NOK 114

25.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.84 NOK 147

$15.45 NOK 144

2.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.30 NOK 300

$29.85 NOK 277

8.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 31.17

$3.29 NOK 30.53

2.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.31

$2.37 NOK 22.03

14.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 NOK 33.92

$3.05 NOK 28.29

19.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 NOK 55.4

$4.55 NOK 42.32

30.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 NOK 25.03

$2.51 NOK 23.35

7.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.48

$3.00 NOK 27.91

-5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 NOK 30.30

$3.44 NOK 31.92

-5.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 NOK 23.22

$2.49 NOK 23.13

0.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.21 NOK 178

$20.07 NOK 186

-4.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 NOK 155

$17.00 NOK 158

-2.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.60 NOK 33.45

$3.89 NOK 36.11

-7.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 39.25

$4.95 NOK 45.99

-14.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 NOK 46.65

$4.66 NOK 43.32

7.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 NOK 775

$84.3 NOK 783

-0.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 115

$13.42 NOK 125

-7.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.12

$1.84 NOK 17.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 658

$63.7 NOK 592

11.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 23.05

$2.52 NOK 23.41

-1.59%

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

$49.9K NOK 463.6K

$50.9K NOK 472.5K

-1.89%

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

$44.7K NOK 415.1K

$41.1K NOK 381.6K

8.79%

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

$433 NOK 4,027

$243 NOK 2,259

78.24%

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

$34.50 NOK 321

$30.54 NOK 284

12.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 NOK 517

$46.76 NOK 434

19.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 NOK 540

$49.24 NOK 457

17.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.79 NOK 277

$41.02 NOK 381

-27.38%

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 NOK 193

$16.70 NOK 155

24.43%

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

$240 NOK 2,226

$259 NOK 2,405

-7.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NOK 150.2K

$12.2K NOK 113.3K

32.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 969

$96.0 NOK 892

8.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 NOK 574

$49.63 NOK 461

24.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,253

$111 NOK 1,031

21.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,487

$154 NOK 1,429

4.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 NOK 19.8K

$1,262 NOK 11.7K

69.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 NOK 15.3K

$1,044 NOK 9,703

57.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,270 NOK 30.4K

$2,068 NOK 19.2K

58.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 NOK 22.9K

$1,688 NOK 15.7K

46.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K NOK 114.9K

$6,242 NOK 58.0K

98.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,462 NOK 69.3K

$4,136 NOK 38.4K

80.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,703 NOK 43.7K

$4,114 NOK 38.2K

14.31%

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 Karmøy: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5%

Karmøy

$1K 39.6% 36.5% $601

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$530 15%

Karmøy

$483 18.3% 9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$524 14.8%

Karmøy

$321 12.1% 38.8% $203

Eating Out

Oslo

$407 11.5%

Karmøy

$400 15.2% 1.7% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$207 5.9%

Karmøy

$185 7% 11% $23

Getting Around

Oslo

$125 3.5%

Karmøy

$126 4.8% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.8%

Karmøy

$83 3.1% 17.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,133 in Oslo and $1,262 in Karmøy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 14% 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 $122 in Karmøy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $483 per month, with Karmøy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇳🇴 Karmøy

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

Same time as Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

43,404

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oslo Karmøy 320 km

From you

Oslo
Karmøy

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 Karmøy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,538 in Oslo and $2,641 in Karmøy, so Karmøy is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% 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 $1,262 in Karmøy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% 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 $2,641 in Karmøy – Karmøy is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,641 in Karmøy versus $3,538 in Oslo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Karmøy but tight or insufficient in Oslo. The gap between the two cities makes Karmøy 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.

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

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