Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Tromso

For one person, living is cheaper in Tromso: $3,272 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oslo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

170

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
158

Cost of Living Index in Tromso
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Tromso Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Tromso

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,272

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oslo and in Tromso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,538 in Oslo versus $3,272 in Tromso.

Oslo $3,538
Tromso $3,272

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,096 in Oslo versus $4,928 in Tromso.

Oslo $5,096
Tromso $4,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,653 in Oslo versus $6,584 in Tromso.

Oslo $6,653
Tromso $6,584

Living in Oslo is roughly 8% more expensive than in Tromso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 160% above, Tromso 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 NOK 202

$34.84 NOK 324

-37.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$130 NOK 1,206

$107 NOK 991

21.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.04 NOK 149

$16.13 NOK 150

-0.56%

Cappuccino

$5.84 NOK 54.3

$6.87 NOK 63.8

-14.99%

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

$4.38 NOK 40.67

$5.02 NOK 46.63

-12.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.10

$3.80 NOK 35.27

-11.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.65 NOK 108

$12.79 NOK 119

-8.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.81 NOK 119

$13.94 NOK 130

-8.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 NOK 24.27

$2.61 NOK 24.24

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 NOK 40.73

$3.47 NOK 32.28

26.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 NOK 43.68

$3.95 NOK 36.73

18.99%

Eggs

$6.25 NOK 58.1

$5.42 NOK 50.3

15.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 NOK 144

$11.93 NOK 111

29.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.84 NOK 147

$15.18 NOK 141

4.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.30 NOK 300

$42.51 NOK 395

-24.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 31.17

$4.23 NOK 39.26

-20.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.31

$3.03 NOK 28.17

-10.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 NOK 33.92

$5.42 NOK 50.4

-32.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 NOK 55.4

$6.08 NOK 56.5

-1.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 NOK 25.03

$3.53 NOK 32.79

-23.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.48

$4.89 NOK 45.43

-41.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 NOK 30.30

$2.97 NOK 27.61

9.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 NOK 23.22

$2.14 NOK 19.85

16.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.21 NOK 178

$16.48 NOK 153

16.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 NOK 155

$17.78 NOK 165

-6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.60 NOK 33.45

$4.04 NOK 37.56

-10.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 39.25

$4.95 NOK 45.97

-14.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 NOK 46.65

$5.07 NOK 47.12

-0.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 NOK 775

$67.8 NOK 630

23.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 115

$16.35 NOK 152

-24.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.12

$2.16 NOK 20.08

-14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 658

$57.4 NOK 533

23.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 23.05

$2.38 NOK 22.08

4.20%

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

$49.9K NOK 463.6K

$50.0K NOK 464.6K

-0.23%

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

$44.7K NOK 415.1K

$44.5K NOK 413.0K

0.52%

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

$433 NOK 4,027

$266 NOK 2,467

63.24%

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

$34.50 NOK 321

$50.7 NOK 471

-32.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 NOK 517

$85.0 NOK 789

-34.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 NOK 540

$48.89 NOK 454

18.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.79 NOK 277

$48.46 NOK 450

-38.53%

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 NOK 193

$17.45 NOK 162

19.08%

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

$240 NOK 2,226

$324 NOK 3,013

-26.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NOK 150.2K

$7,850 NOK 72.9K

105.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 969

$68.8 NOK 639

51.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 NOK 574

$35.13 NOK 326

75.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,253

$153 NOK 1,423

-11.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,487

$166 NOK 1,539

-3.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 NOK 19.8K

$1,780 NOK 16.5K

19.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 NOK 15.3K

$1,392 NOK 12.9K

18.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,270 NOK 30.4K

$3,215 NOK 29.9K

1.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 NOK 22.9K

$2,341 NOK 21.8K

5.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K NOK 114.9K

$8,342 NOK 77.5K

48.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,462 NOK 69.3K

$5,634 NOK 52.3K

32.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,703 NOK 43.7K

$4,302 NOK 40.0K

9.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

5.01

-1.40%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tromso: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5%

Tromso

$1.4K 42.6% 15.4% $253

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$530 15%

Tromso

$553 16.9% 4.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$524 14.8%

Tromso

$401 12.3% 23.4% $122

Eating Out

Oslo

$407 11.5%

Tromso

$537 16.4% 31.8% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$207 5.9%

Tromso

$190 5.8% 8.3% $17

Getting Around

Oslo

$125 3.5%

Tromso

$115 3.5% 7.9% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.8%

Tromso

$84 2.6% 15.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,133 in Oslo and $1,780 in Tromso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 9% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $130 in Oslo vs $107 in Tromso. Groceries flip the comparison at $530 vs $553, with Oslo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇳🇴 Tromso

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

Same time as Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

78,908

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Oslo Tromso 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Oslo
Tromso

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 Tromso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tromso is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 9% 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: $2,133 in Oslo versus $1,780 in Tromso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,538 per month in Oslo versus $3,272 in Tromso – Tromso is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tromso runs roughly 19% less than in Oslo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Tromso 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 Tromso are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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