Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Lillehammer

For one person, living is cheaper in Lillehammer: $1,521 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Oslo, Norway
Lillehammer, Norway
Oslo
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,538
/mo nomad
Lillehammer
🇳🇴 Norway
$1,521
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Lillehammer

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

A single person spends $3,538 per month in Oslo vs $1,521 in Lillehammer, rent included.

  • Oslo $3,538
  • Lillehammer $1,521

A couple spends around $5,096 per month in Oslo vs $2,414 in Lillehammer, rent included.

  • Oslo $5,096
  • Lillehammer $2,414

A family of three spends $6,653 per month in Oslo vs $3,308 in Lillehammer, rent included.

  • Oslo $6,653
  • Lillehammer $3,308

Oslo costs about 133% more than Lillehammer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Oslo and Lillehammer sit above the global median – Oslo by 160%, Lillehammer by 12%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oslo
Lillehammer
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.75 NOK 200
$17.22 NOK 158
26.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$130 NOK 1,193
$86.6 NOK 796
49.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.04 NOK 147
$14.65 NOK 135
9.49%
Cappuccino
$5.84 NOK 53.7
$5.04 NOK 46.32
15.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 NOK 40.21
$3.58 NOK 32.91
22.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 NOK 30.75
$2.42 NOK 22.19
38.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.65 NOK 107
$10.94 NOK 101
6.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.81 NOK 118
$7.37 NOK 67.7
73.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Oslo
Lillehammer
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.61 NOK 24.00
$2.49 NOK 22.86
4.82%
White Bread (500g)
$4.38 NOK 40.27
$3.50 NOK 32.12
25.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.70 NOK 43.19
$3.69 NOK 33.92
27.37%
Eggs
$6.25 NOK 57.4
$4.83 NOK 44.35
29.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.48 NOK 142
$13.57 NOK 125
14.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.84 NOK 146
$17.04 NOK 157
-7.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$32.30 NOK 297
$32.03 NOK 294
0.84%
Apples (1kg)
$3.36 NOK 30.83
$4.08 NOK 37.46
-17.65%
Banana (1kg)
$2.72 NOK 25.03
$3.05 NOK 27.99
-10.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.65 NOK 33.54
$3.94 NOK 36.21
-7.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.96 NOK 54.8
$5.69 NOK 52.3
4.75%
Potato (1kg)
$2.69 NOK 24.75
$2.99 NOK 27.45
-10.03%
Onion (1kg)
$2.85 NOK 26.18
$3.04 NOK 27.89
-6.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.26 NOK 29.96
$3.01 NOK 27.64
8.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 NOK 22.96
$2.27 NOK 20.87
10.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.21 NOK 176
$17.85 NOK 164
7.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.64 NOK 153
$19.12 NOK 176
-12.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.60 NOK 33.08
$3.59 NOK 33.03
0.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.23 NOK 38.82
$4.79 NOK 44.05
-11.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Oslo
Lillehammer
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.02 NOK 46.13
$2.41 NOK 22.19
108.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$83.5 NOK 767
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.39 NOK 114
$9.64 NOK 88.6
28.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 NOK 16.93
$1.64 NOK 15.08
12.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$70.8 NOK 651
$60.9 NOK 559
16.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.48 NOK 22.79
$2.47 NOK 22.67
0.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.9K NOK 458.4K
$47.0K NOK 431.4K
6.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.7K NOK 410.5K
$46.9K NOK 430.9K
-4.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oslo
Lillehammer
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$433 NOK 3,983
$281 NOK 2,584
54.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.50 NOK 317
$35.85 NOK 329
-3.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.7 NOK 512
$82.3 NOK 756
-32.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Oslo
Lillehammer
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.1 NOK 534
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.79 NOK 274
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$20.78 NOK 191
$19.23 NOK 177
8.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oslo
Lillehammer
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$240 NOK 2,201
$303 NOK 2,787
-21.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K NOK 148.5K
$4,579 NOK 42.1K
253.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Oslo
Lillehammer
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 NOK 958
$110 NOK 1,010
-5.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.8 NOK 567
$52.6 NOK 483
17.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 NOK 1,239
$125 NOK 1,147
8.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$160 NOK 1,470
$159 NOK 1,457
0.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oslo
Lillehammer
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,133 NOK 19.6K
$1,090 NOK 10.0K
95.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 NOK 15.1K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,270 NOK 30.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,466 NOK 22.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.4K NOK 113.6K
$3,392 NOK 31.2K
264.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,462 NOK 68.6K
$1,373 NOK 12.6K
443.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Oslo
Lillehammer
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,703 NOK 43.2K
$2,148 NOK 19.7K
118.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.94
5.32
-7.14%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lillehammer: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Oslo
$1.6K
Lillehammer
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Oslo
$530
Lillehammer
$519 2.2% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oslo
$524
Lillehammer
$399 23.7% $124
Eating Out
Oslo
$407
Lillehammer
$336 17.5% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Oslo
$207
Lillehammer
$201 3.3% $6.8
Getting Around
Oslo
$125
Lillehammer
$28 * 78% $98
Sport & Entertainment
Oslo
$100
Lillehammer
$38 * 61.4% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,133 in Oslo versus $1,090 in Lillehammer. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Oslo are about 2.2 times higher, 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 $130 in Oslo versus $87 in Lillehammer. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $530 vs $519 – making Lillehammer the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Oslo
🇳🇴 Lillehammer
🕒 Local time
00:43 12:43 AM
00:43 12:43 AM
Same time as Oslo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,098,061 Capital
28,831
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Oslo Lillehammer 140 km
From you
  • Oslo
  • Lillehammer

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 Lillehammer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Oslo or Lillehammer?
Oslo costs about 133% more than Lillehammer, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Oslo and in Lillehammer?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,307 per month in Oslo and $2,281 in Lillehammer. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Oslo or Lillehammer?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lillehammer, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,090 there versus $2,133 in Oslo.
How much does it cost to live in Oslo compared to Lillehammer?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,538 in Oslo and $1,521 in Lillehammer. That makes Lillehammer about 57% cheaper.
How do dining costs compare in Oslo and in Lillehammer?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $130 in Oslo and $87 in Lillehammer. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Oslo or in Lillehammer?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,538 in Oslo and $1,521 in Lillehammer. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Oslo or Lillehammer?
It depends on your priorities. Oslo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,521 in Lillehammer to $3,538 in Oslo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Oslo compared to Lillehammer?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Oslo or to Lillehammer?
If budget matters most, go with Lillehammer. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oslo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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