Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Lillestrom

For one person, living is cheaper in Lillestrom: $2,615 a month against $3,430 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,430

/mo nomad

Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Lillestrom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,430 in Oslo versus $2,615 in Lillestrom.

Oslo $3,430
Lillestrom $2,615

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,957 in Oslo versus $4,023 in Lillestrom.

Oslo $4,957
Lillestrom $4,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,484 in Oslo versus $5,432 in Lillestrom.

Oslo $6,484
Lillestrom $5,432

Living in Oslo is roughly 31% more expensive than in Lillestrom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 153% above, Lillestrom 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.32 NOK 201

$20.91 NOK 197

1.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$126 NOK 1,185

$121 NOK 1,135

4.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.06 NOK 151

$11.05 NOK 104

45.34%

Cappuccino

$6.04 NOK 56.8

$6.17 NOK 58.1

-2.11%

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

$4.40 NOK 41.42

$4.05 NOK 38.09

8.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 NOK 32.64

$3.12 NOK 29.36

11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.70 NOK 110

$11.80 NOK 111

-0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.51 NOK 118

$10.45 NOK 98.4

19.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.82

$2.45 NOK 23.10

3.27%

White Bread (500g)

$4.35 NOK 40.98

$3.62 NOK 34.06

20.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 NOK 43.94

$4.08 NOK 38.37

14.46%

Eggs

$6.08 NOK 57.3

$5.73 NOK 53.9

6.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.19 NOK 143

$13.08 NOK 123

16.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.74 NOK 148

$13.77 NOK 130

14.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.13 NOK 302

$27.30 NOK 257

17.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.52

$3.46 NOK 32.55

-3.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 NOK 25.05

$2.81 NOK 26.45

-5.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 NOK 33.65

$4.08 NOK 38.40

-12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 NOK 54.6

$5.45 NOK 51.3

6.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 NOK 25.66

$2.75 NOK 25.85

-0.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 NOK 27.97

$3.69 NOK 34.71

-19.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.19 NOK 29.99

$1.79 NOK 16.80

78.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 NOK 22.47

$2.28 NOK 21.44

4.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.26 NOK 181

$17.49 NOK 165

10.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.49 NOK 155

$16.88 NOK 159

-2.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.80

$5.57 NOK 52.5

-37.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 NOK 39.38

$5.86 NOK 55.1

-28.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.74 NOK 44.66

$4.46 NOK 42.01

6.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.8 NOK 789

-0.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.15 NOK 114

$11.92 NOK 112

1.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.28

$1.85 NOK 17.44

-0.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.8 NOK 657

$69.1 NOK 650

0.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 23.15

$2.29 NOK 21.53

7.42%

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

$48.8K NOK 459.3K

$48.5K NOK 456.4K

0.64%

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

$44.4K NOK 418.2K

$44.4K NOK 418.1K

0.02%

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

$422 NOK 3,973

$269 NOK 2,532

56.92%

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

$33.53 NOK 316

$32.87 NOK 309

2.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NOK 506

$52.5 NOK 494

2.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 NOK 569

$49.58 NOK 467

21.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.62 NOK 269

$36.47 NOK 343

-21.52%

Cinema Ticket

$19.99 NOK 188

$17.09 NOK 161

16.97%

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

$236 NOK 2,218

$238 NOK 2,244

-1.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K NOK 149.8K

$13.1K NOK 122.8K

21.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 949

$101 NOK 955

-0.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 NOK 568

$55.8 NOK 525

8.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 NOK 1,284

$126 NOK 1,186

8.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 NOK 1,498

$158 NOK 1,484

0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,083 NOK 19.6K

$1,245 NOK 11.7K

67.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 NOK 14.7K

$982 NOK 9,242

59.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 NOK 28.4K

$1,945 NOK 18.3K

55.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,357 NOK 22.2K

$1,658 NOK 15.6K

42.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NOK 112.4K

$6,206 NOK 58.4K

92.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,865 NOK 64.6K

$4,015 NOK 37.8K

70.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,771 NOK 44.9K

$3,767 NOK 35.5K

26.66%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Lillestrom: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 45.5%

Lillestrom

$982 37.5% 37.1% $579

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$523 15.2%

Lillestrom

$491 18.8% 6.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$509 14.9%

Lillestrom

$354 13.6% 30.4% $155

Eating Out

Oslo

$406 11.8%

Lillestrom

$383 14.7% 5.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$205 6%

Lillestrom

$198 7.6% 3.5% $7.2

Getting Around

Oslo

$124 3.6%

Lillestrom

$123 4.7% 1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.9%

Lillestrom

$84 3.2% 16.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,083 in Oslo and $1,245 in Lillestrom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 27% 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: $126 in Oslo vs $121 in Lillestrom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $523 vs $491 per month, with Lillestrom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

Same time as Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

94,585

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Oslo Lillestrom 27 km

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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 Lillestrom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lillestrom wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Oslo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lillestrom the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 27% 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: $2,083 in Oslo versus $1,245 in Lillestrom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $236 in Oslo versus $238 in Lillestrom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Oslo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Lillestrom is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lillestrom delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,615 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lillestrom hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Oslo and Lillestrom are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lillestrom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.