Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Oslo: $3,443 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Oslo
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,443
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in London

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

A single person spends $3,443 per month in Oslo vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

  • Oslo $3,443
  • London $4,086

A couple spends around $4,981 per month in Oslo vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

  • Oslo $4,981
  • London $5,816

A family of three spends $6,519 per month in Oslo vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

  • Oslo $6,519
  • London $7,546

Oslo is about 16% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Oslo and London sit above the global median – Oslo by 157%, London by 205%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oslo
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.80 NOK 199
$26.62 £20.11
-21.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$125 NOK 1,194
$108 £81.3
16.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.81 NOK 151
$10.39 £7.85
52.17%
Cappuccino
$6.03 NOK 57.6
$5.79 £4.38
4.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 NOK 42.10
$3.01 £2.27
46.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 NOK 31.33
$2.15 £1.63
52.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.75 NOK 112
$9.35 £7.06
25.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.73 NOK 122
$7.84 £5.93
62.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Oslo
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.46 NOK 23.53
$1.79 £1.35
37.43%
White Bread (500g)
$4.20 NOK 40.08
$2.06 £1.56
103.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.62 NOK 44.16
$2.31 £1.74
100.00%
Eggs
$5.99 NOK 57.2
$5.05 £3.82
18.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.83 NOK 142
$12.57 £9.50
17.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.56 NOK 149
$10.66 £8.05
45.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$31.16 NOK 298
$17.13 £12.94
81.90%
Apples (1kg)
$3.36 NOK 32.05
$3.03 £2.29
10.89%
Banana (1kg)
$2.58 NOK 24.62
$1.41 £1.07
82.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.52 NOK 33.63
$3.05 £2.31
15.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.74 NOK 54.9
$3.38 £2.56
69.82%
Potato (1kg)
$2.67 NOK 25.46
$1.67 £1.26
59.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.84 NOK 27.08
$1.73 £1.31
64.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.15 NOK 30.05
$1.41 £1.07
123.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 NOK 23.66
$1.79 £1.35
38.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.09 NOK 182
$23.22 £17.55
-17.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.58 NOK 158
$12.99 £9.82
27.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.35 NOK 32.01
$3.18 £2.40
5.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.33 NOK 41.31
$4.41 £3.33
-1.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Oslo
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.84 NOK 46.25
$3.87 £2.93
25.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$82.6 NOK 789
$250 £189
-66.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$11.70 NOK 112
$5.71 £4.31
104.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.85 NOK 17.68
$3.33 £2.51
-44.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$69.0 NOK 659
$57.9 £43.76
19.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.33 NOK 22.23
$2.04 £1.54
14.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$47.4K NOK 453.0K
$37.5K £28.4K
26.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.5K NOK 415.8K
$40.9K £30.9K
6.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oslo
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$415 NOK 3,967
$376 £284
10.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.37 NOK 319
$17.88 £13.51
86.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.1 NOK 526
$40.01 £30.24
37.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Oslo
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.7 NOK 561
$61.2 £46.22
-3.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.61 NOK 273
$21.07 £15.93
35.79%
Cinema Ticket
$19.45 NOK 186
$17.95 £13.57
8.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oslo
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$233 NOK 2,229
$2,865 £2,165
-91.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.4K NOK 147.2K
$35.3K £26.7K
-56.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Oslo
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 NOK 962
$116 £87.7
-13.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.6 NOK 560
$54.1 £40.87
8.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$134 NOK 1,276
$127 £95.7
5.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$153 NOK 1,462
$159 £120
-3.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oslo
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,021 NOK 19.3K
$2,853 £2,156
-29.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,576 NOK 15.0K
$2,301 £1,739
-31.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,054 NOK 29.2K
$5,201 £3,931
-41.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,346 NOK 22.4K
$3,723 £2,813
-36.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$11.8K NOK 112.2K
$19.0K £14.4K
-38.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,804 NOK 65.0K
$7,881 £5,955
-13.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Oslo
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,578 NOK 43.7K
$4,818 £3,641
-4.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.94
4.65
6.24%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 4, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Oslo
$1.6K
London
$2.3K 46.1% $726
Groceries & Markets
Oslo
$514
London
$349 32.1% $165
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oslo
$504
London
$434 13.9% $70
Eating Out
Oslo
$401
London
$397 1.1% $4.5
Clothing & Footwear
Oslo
$201
London
$205 2.2% $4.4
Getting Around
Oslo
$123
London
$288 134% $165
Sport & Entertainment
Oslo
$98
London
$97 0.6% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,021 in Oslo versus $2,853 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 5% higher in London, 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 $125 in Oslo versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $514 vs $349 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Oslo
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
05:16 5:16 AM
04:16 4:16 AM
1 h behind Oslo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,098,061 Capital
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Oslo London 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Oslo
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Oslo and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,443 in Oslo, $4,086 in London – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Oslo compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,164 per month in Oslo and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Oslo and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Oslo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 47% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $125 in Oslo and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $2,500 budget?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,443 in Oslo and $4,086 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Oslo and London?
It depends on your priorities. Oslo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,443 in Oslo to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Oslo or London safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Oslo and London?
If budget matters most, go with Oslo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Oslo vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?