Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarpsborg and Oslo

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.

138

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
Learn more

Sarpsborg Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
Learn more

Oslo Living Index

Jump to prices

Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,872

/mo nomad

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarpsborg and in Oslo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sarpsborg and in Oslo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Sarpsborg $2,872
Oslo $3,524

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

Sarpsborg $4,169
Oslo $5,087

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

Sarpsborg $5,466
Oslo $6,650

Living in Sarpsborg costs roughly 19% less than in Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$40.81 NOK 379

$21.37 NOK 198

90.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 NOK 921

$129 NOK 1,202

-23.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.17 NOK 178

$15.92 NOK 148

20.41%

Cappuccino

$5.74 NOK 53.3

$5.88 NOK 54.6

-2.38%

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

$2.88 NOK 26.75

$4.45 NOK 41.33

-35.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 NOK 24.77

$3.48 NOK 32.25

-23.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 NOK 61.2

$11.61 NOK 108

-43.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 NOK 76.0

$12.67 NOK 118

-35.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 NOK 21.49

$2.52 NOK 23.42

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 NOK 32.42

$4.14 NOK 38.39

-15.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 37.22

$4.89 NOK 45.34

-18.00%

Eggs

$4.56 NOK 42.30

$6.27 NOK 58.2

-27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.54 NOK 116

$15.45 NOK 143

-18.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.04 NOK 158

$16.34 NOK 152

4.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.26 NOK 318

$31.50 NOK 292

8.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 NOK 35.74

$3.34 NOK 31.03

15.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 24.81

$2.75 NOK 25.56

-2.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.43

$3.55 NOK 32.91

-1.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 NOK 56.1

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 NOK 26.39

$2.73 NOK 25.31

4.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 NOK 29.50

$2.86 NOK 26.51

11.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 NOK 24.61

$2.99 NOK 27.73

-11.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 NOK 24.00

$2.41 NOK 22.35

7.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.56 NOK 144

$19.16 NOK 178

-18.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.73 NOK 127

$16.09 NOK 149

-14.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 NOK 30.97

$3.48 NOK 32.34

-4.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 NOK 43.69

$4.32 NOK 40.07

9.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 NOK 24.36

$5.04 NOK 46.73

-48.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.2 NOK 809

$78.8 NOK 731

10.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.01 NOK 111

$12.43 NOK 115

-3.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 NOK 18.26

$1.84 NOK 17.07

7.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$63.8 NOK 592

$72.0 NOK 668

-11.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 NOK 21.08

$2.41 NOK 22.37

-5.81%

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

$55.3K NOK 513.5K

$50.2K NOK 465.5K

10.30%

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

$47.2K NOK 437.7K

$45.3K NOK 420.2K

4.17%

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

$238 NOK 2,207

$430 NOK 3,995

-44.75%

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

$36.62 NOK 340

$34.90 NOK 324

4.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.03 NOK 436

$54.8 NOK 508

-14.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 NOK 465

$58.2 NOK 540

-13.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.46 NOK 357

$29.89 NOK 277

28.67%

Cinema Ticket

$19.49 NOK 181

$19.63 NOK 182

-0.71%

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

$239 NOK 2,217

$246 NOK 2,287

-3.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K NOK 107.7K

$17.6K NOK 163.8K

-34.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 NOK 1,034

$103 NOK 954

8.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.9 NOK 621

$62.6 NOK 581

6.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,158

$134 NOK 1,246

-7.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$180 NOK 1,670

$159 NOK 1,474

13.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 NOK 11.4K

$2,117 NOK 19.6K

-42.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 NOK 10.1K

$1,651 NOK 15.3K

-33.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 NOK 14.9K

$3,238 NOK 30.0K

-50.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 NOK 13.0K

$2,501 NOK 23.2K

-44.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 NOK 59.5K

$12.0K NOK 111.3K

-46.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,241 NOK 39.4K

$7,601 NOK 70.5K

-44.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,714 NOK 25.2K

$4,955 NOK 46.0K

-45.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

4.94

4.86%

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

Last update for Sarpsborg: November 1, 2026

Last update for Oslo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarpsborg

$1.1K 38.1%

Oslo

$1.7K 46.9% 51.1% $559

Eating Out

Sarpsborg

$524 18.3%

Oslo

$404 11.5% 22.9% $120

Groceries & Markets

Sarpsborg

$508 17.7%

Oslo

$524 14.9% 3.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarpsborg

$321 11.2%

Oslo

$520 14.8% 61.8% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Sarpsborg

$217 7.6%

Oslo

$206 5.9% 5.1% $11

Getting Around

Sarpsborg

$120 4.2%

Oslo

$121 3.4% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Sarpsborg

$89 3.1%

Oslo

$97 2.8% 9.5% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,224 in Sarpsborg and $2,117 in Oslo. 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: $99 in Sarpsborg vs $129 in Oslo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $508 vs $524 per month, with Sarpsborg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Oslo

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

Same time as Sarpsborg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,906

1,098,061 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.59 EUR

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.59 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sarpsborg Oslo 78 km

From you

Sarpsborg
Oslo

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

Sarpsborg vs Oslo: 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.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Sarpsborg. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,224 in Sarpsborg versus $2,117 in Oslo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,872 per month in Sarpsborg versus $3,524 in Oslo – 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, Sarpsborg and Oslo 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.