Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Longyearbyen

For one person, living is cheaper in Longyearbyen: $2,733 a month against $3,427 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oslo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

165

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
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Longyearbyen Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,427

/mo nomad

Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Longyearbyen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,427 in Oslo versus $2,733 in Longyearbyen.

Oslo $3,427
Longyearbyen $2,733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,942 in Oslo versus $4,180 in Longyearbyen.

Oslo $4,942
Longyearbyen $4,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,457 in Oslo versus $5,627 in Longyearbyen.

Oslo $6,457
Longyearbyen $5,627

Living in Oslo is roughly 25% more expensive than in Longyearbyen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 154% above, Longyearbyen 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.56 NOK 194

$20.05 NOK 189

2.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$126 NOK 1,185

$106 NOK 996

18.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.56 NOK 146

$18.00 NOK 169

-13.56%

Cappuccino

$5.83 NOK 54.9

$6.85 NOK 64.5

-14.89%

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

$4.32 NOK 40.70

$6.11 NOK 57.5

-29.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 NOK 31.39

$5.58 NOK 52.5

-40.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.46 NOK 108

$7.43 NOK 70.0

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.30 NOK 116

$8.96 NOK 84.3

37.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 NOK 23.11

$2.40 NOK 22.57

2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 NOK 39.55

$3.71 NOK 34.95

13.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 NOK 44.80

$4.33 NOK 40.78

9.93%

Eggs

$5.79 NOK 54.5

$4.97 NOK 46.82

16.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.59 NOK 137

$14.26 NOK 134

2.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.42 NOK 145

$20.30 NOK 191

-24.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.00 NOK 292

$31.52 NOK 297

-1.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 NOK 31.43

$6.42 NOK 60.5

-47.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 NOK 25.05

$2.55 NOK 24.03

4.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 NOK 31.95

$6.85 NOK 64.5

-50.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.76 NOK 54.3

$6.66 NOK 62.7

-13.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 NOK 25.43

$5.49 NOK 51.7

-50.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 NOK 26.99

$4.53 NOK 42.66

-36.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.18 NOK 29.90

$4.51 NOK 42.50

-29.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.17

$3.53 NOK 33.23

-33.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.05 NOK 179

$17.34 NOK 163

9.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.27 NOK 153

$14.45 NOK 136

12.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.79

$3.54 NOK 33.31

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 NOK 39.09

$4.24 NOK 39.93

-2.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.70 NOK 44.24

$5.27 NOK 49.65

-10.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.2 NOK 755

$86.2 NOK 811

-6.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.10 NOK 114

$9.06 NOK 85.3

33.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.94

$1.80 NOK 16.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.3 NOK 652

$73.7 NOK 694

-6.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 22.10

$2.13 NOK 20.05

10.33%

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

$48.1K NOK 453.1K

$50.3K NOK 473.1K

-4.23%

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

$43.8K NOK 412.4K

$41.3K NOK 388.9K

6.03%

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

$425 NOK 3,999

$242 NOK 2,274

75.87%

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

$33.77 NOK 318

$32.99 NOK 311

2.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NOK 505

$54.1 NOK 509

-0.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 NOK 563

$50.5 NOK 475

18.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.20 NOK 275

$36.19 NOK 341

-19.31%

Cinema Ticket

$20.11 NOK 189

$14.85 NOK 140

35.42%

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

$238 NOK 2,237

$200 NOK 1,887

18.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K NOK 145.6K

$14.2K NOK 133.8K

8.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 949

$104 NOK 981

-3.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 NOK 554

$56.3 NOK 530

4.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,271

$125 NOK 1,179

7.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 NOK 1,474

$154 NOK 1,447

1.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 NOK 19.0K

$1,104 NOK 10.4K

82.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NOK 14.9K

$1,017 NOK 9,569

56.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,978 NOK 28.0K

$1,983 NOK 18.7K

50.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,397 NOK 22.6K

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

41.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.7K NOK 110.2K

$6,197 NOK 58.3K

88.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,719 NOK 63.3K

$4,017 NOK 37.8K

67.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,687 NOK 44.1K

$2,931 NOK 27.6K

59.89%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Longyearbyen: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.3%

Longyearbyen

$1K 37.2% 35.9% $570

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$512 15%

Longyearbyen

$329 12% 35.8% $184

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$511 14.9%

Longyearbyen

$586 21.5% 14.8% $76

Eating Out

Oslo

$394 11.5%

Longyearbyen

$398 14.6% 1.2% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$203 5.9%

Longyearbyen

$198 7.2% 2.6% $5.3

Getting Around

Oslo

$120 3.5%

Longyearbyen

$125 4.6% 4.4% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.9%

Longyearbyen

$80 2.9% 19.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,018 in Oslo and $1,104 in Longyearbyen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 60% 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 $106 in Longyearbyen. Groceries flip the comparison at $511 vs $586, with Oslo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

Same time as Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

2,400

💱 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 Longyearbyen 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Oslo
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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 Longyearbyen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Longyearbyen is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and utilities. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 60% 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: $2,018 in Oslo versus $1,104 in Longyearbyen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Longyearbyen runs roughly 7% less than in Oslo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $238 in Oslo versus $200 in Longyearbyen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Longyearbyen is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Longyearbyen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Oslo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Oslo and Longyearbyen 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 Longyearbyen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.