Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Sarpsborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarpsborg: $2,872 a month against $3,524 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oslo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

169

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
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Sarpsborg Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,524

/mo nomad

Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Sarpsborg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,524 in Oslo versus $2,872 in Sarpsborg.

Oslo $3,524
Sarpsborg $2,872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,087 in Oslo versus $4,169 in Sarpsborg.

Oslo $5,087
Sarpsborg $4,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,650 in Oslo versus $5,466 in Sarpsborg.

Oslo $6,650
Sarpsborg $5,466

Living in Oslo is roughly 23% more expensive than in Sarpsborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 161% above, Sarpsborg 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.37 NOK 198

$40.81 NOK 379

-47.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 NOK 1,202

$99.3 NOK 921

30.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.92 NOK 148

$19.17 NOK 178

-16.95%

Cappuccino

$5.88 NOK 54.6

$5.74 NOK 53.3

2.44%

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

$4.45 NOK 41.33

$2.88 NOK 26.75

54.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.25

$2.67 NOK 24.77

30.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.61 NOK 108

$6.60 NOK 61.2

75.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.67 NOK 118

$8.19 NOK 76.0

54.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 NOK 23.42

$2.32 NOK 21.49

8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$4.14 NOK 38.39

$3.49 NOK 32.42

18.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.89 NOK 45.34

$4.01 NOK 37.22

21.95%

Eggs

$6.27 NOK 58.2

$4.56 NOK 42.30

37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.45 NOK 143

$12.54 NOK 116

23.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.34 NOK 152

$17.04 NOK 158

-4.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.50 NOK 292

$34.26 NOK 318

-8.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 NOK 31.03

$3.85 NOK 35.74

-13.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 NOK 25.56

$2.67 NOK 24.81

3.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 NOK 32.91

$3.49 NOK 32.43

1.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 NOK 56.1

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 NOK 25.31

$2.84 NOK 26.39

-3.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.51

$3.18 NOK 29.50

-10.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.99 NOK 27.73

$2.65 NOK 24.61

12.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 NOK 22.35

$2.59 NOK 24.00

-6.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.16 NOK 178

$15.56 NOK 144

23.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.09 NOK 149

$13.73 NOK 127

17.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.34

$3.34 NOK 30.97

4.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 NOK 40.07

$4.71 NOK 43.69

-8.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.04 NOK 46.73

$2.62 NOK 24.36

92.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.8 NOK 731

$87.2 NOK 809

-9.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.43 NOK 115

$12.01 NOK 111

3.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.07

$1.97 NOK 18.26

-6.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.0 NOK 668

$63.8 NOK 592

12.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.37

$2.27 NOK 21.08

6.17%

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

$50.2K NOK 465.5K

$55.3K NOK 513.5K

-9.33%

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

$45.3K NOK 420.2K

$47.2K NOK 437.7K

-4.00%

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

$430 NOK 3,995

$238 NOK 2,207

81.00%

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

$34.90 NOK 324

$36.62 NOK 340

-4.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 NOK 508

$47.03 NOK 436

16.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 NOK 540

$50.1 NOK 465

16.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.89 NOK 277

$38.46 NOK 357

-22.28%

Cinema Ticket

$19.63 NOK 182

$19.49 NOK 181

0.72%

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

$246 NOK 2,287

$239 NOK 2,217

3.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K NOK 163.8K

$11.6K NOK 107.7K

51.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 NOK 954

$111 NOK 1,034

-7.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.6 NOK 581

$66.9 NOK 621

-6.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 NOK 1,246

$125 NOK 1,158

7.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 NOK 1,474

$180 NOK 1,670

-11.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 NOK 19.6K

$1,224 NOK 11.4K

73.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 NOK 15.3K

$1,093 NOK 10.1K

51.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,238 NOK 30.0K

$1,606 NOK 14.9K

101.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,501 NOK 23.2K

$1,399 NOK 13.0K

78.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.0K NOK 111.3K

$6,415 NOK 59.5K

86.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,601 NOK 70.5K

$4,241 NOK 39.4K

79.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,955 NOK 46.0K

$2,714 NOK 25.2K

82.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

5.18

-4.63%

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

Last update for Oslo: November 3, 2026

Last update for Sarpsborg: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.7K 46.9%

Sarpsborg

$1.1K 38.1% 33.8% $559

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$524 14.9%

Sarpsborg

$508 17.7% 3.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$520 14.8%

Sarpsborg

$321 11.2% 38.2% $199

Eating Out

Oslo

$404 11.5%

Sarpsborg

$524 18.3% 29.7% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$206 5.9%

Sarpsborg

$217 7.6% 5.3% $11

Getting Around

Oslo

$121 3.4%

Sarpsborg

$120 4.2% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$97 2.8%

Sarpsborg

$89 3.1% 8.6% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,117 in Oslo and $1,224 in Sarpsborg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 83% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $129 in Oslo vs $99 in Sarpsborg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $524 vs $508 per month, with Sarpsborg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

Same time as Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

59,906

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 EUR

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Oslo Sarpsborg 78 km

From you

Oslo
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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 Sarpsborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarpsborg is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 83% 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: $2,117 in Oslo versus $1,224 in Sarpsborg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,524 per month in Oslo versus $2,872 in Sarpsborg – Sarpsborg is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Oslo runs roughly 10% less than in Sarpsborg. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

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 Sarpsborg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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