Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Skien

For one person, living is cheaper in Skien: $2,336 a month against $3,427 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,427

/mo nomad

Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Skien

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,427 in Oslo versus $2,336 in Skien.

Oslo $3,427
Skien $2,336

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,942 in Oslo versus $3,267 in Skien.

Oslo $4,942
Skien $3,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,457 in Oslo versus $4,197 in Skien.

Oslo $6,457
Skien $4,197

Living in Oslo is roughly 47% more expensive than in Skien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 154% above, Skien 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.56 NOK 194

$21.21 NOK 200

-3.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$126 NOK 1,185

$103 NOK 971

22.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.56 NOK 146

$15.47 NOK 146

0.58%

Cappuccino

$5.83 NOK 54.9

$5.11 NOK 48.11

14.09%

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

$4.32 NOK 40.70

$4.36 NOK 41.01

-0.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 NOK 31.39

$2.97 NOK 27.96

12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.46 NOK 108

$11.89 NOK 112

-3.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.30 NOK 116

$12.33 NOK 116

-0.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 NOK 23.11

$2.11 NOK 19.84

16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 NOK 39.55

$3.92 NOK 36.90

7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 NOK 44.80

$4.57 NOK 42.98

4.16%

Eggs

$5.79 NOK 54.5

$5.66 NOK 53.3

2.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.59 NOK 137

$13.16 NOK 124

10.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.42 NOK 145

$15.17 NOK 143

1.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.00 NOK 292

$21.79 NOK 205

42.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 NOK 31.43

$3.35 NOK 31.49

-0.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 NOK 25.05

$2.70 NOK 25.42

-1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 NOK 31.95

$3.49 NOK 32.86

-2.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.76 NOK 54.3

$5.95 NOK 56.0

-3.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 NOK 25.43

$2.24 NOK 21.04

20.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 NOK 26.99

$2.78 NOK 26.12

3.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.18 NOK 29.90

$3.04 NOK 28.63

4.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.17

$2.48 NOK 23.33

-5.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.05 NOK 179

$19.02 NOK 179

0.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.27 NOK 153

$15.76 NOK 148

3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.79

$3.35 NOK 31.58

3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 NOK 39.09

$4.33 NOK 40.76

-4.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.70 NOK 44.24

$3.26 NOK 30.64

44.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.2 NOK 755

$47.91 NOK 451

67.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.10 NOK 114

$11.13 NOK 105

8.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.94

$1.81 NOK 17.02

-0.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.3 NOK 652

$70.8 NOK 667

-2.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 22.10

$2.27 NOK 21.39

3.52%

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

$48.1K NOK 453.1K

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

1.31%

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

$43.8K NOK 412.4K

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

1.04%

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

$425 NOK 3,999

$93.9 NOK 884

352.60%

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

$33.77 NOK 318

$33.89 NOK 319

-0.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NOK 505

$53.6 NOK 504

0.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 NOK 563

$43.10 NOK 406

38.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.20 NOK 275

Cinema Ticket

$20.11 NOK 189

$15.29 NOK 144

31.52%

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

$238 NOK 2,237

$239 NOK 2,247

-0.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K NOK 145.6K

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

-1.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 949

$63.7 NOK 600

58.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 NOK 554

$60.4 NOK 568

-2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,271

$87.9 NOK 827

53.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 NOK 1,474

$153 NOK 1,442

2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 NOK 19.0K

$1,042 NOK 9,811

93.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NOK 14.9K

$975 NOK 9,183

62.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,978 NOK 28.0K

$1,035 NOK 9,746

187.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,397 NOK 22.6K

$939 NOK 8,841

155.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.7K NOK 110.2K

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

244.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,719 NOK 63.3K

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

113.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,687 NOK 44.1K

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

10.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

4.37

13.04%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.3%

Skien

$975 41.8% 38.5% $611

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$512 15%

Skien

$181 7.8% 64.6% $331

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$511 14.9%

Skien

$470 20.1% 8.1% $41

Eating Out

Oslo

$394 11.5%

Skien

$391 16.7% 0.7% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$203 5.9%

Skien

$164 7% 19.1% $39

Getting Around

Oslo

$120 3.5%

Skien

$81 3.5% 32.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.9%

Skien

$74 3.2% 26.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,018 in Oslo and $1,042 in Skien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 11% 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 $103 in Skien for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $511 vs $470 per month, with Skien cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇳🇴 Skien

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

Same time as Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

56,769

💱 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

On the map

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Oslo Skien 99 km

From you

Oslo
Skien

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 Skien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skien is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% 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 $1,042 in Skien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,427 per month in Oslo versus $2,336 in Skien – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Skien runs roughly 67% less than in Oslo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,336 in Skien versus $3,427 in Oslo, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Skien but tight or insufficient in Oslo. The gap between the two cities makes Skien the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Skien 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 Skien 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 Skien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.