Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Oslo

For one person, living is cheaper in Stavanger: $3,248 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oslo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

156

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stavanger 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 Stavanger and in Oslo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Stavanger versus $3,538 in Oslo.

Stavanger $3,248
Oslo $3,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,717 in Stavanger versus $5,096 in Oslo.

Stavanger $4,717
Oslo $5,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,186 in Stavanger versus $6,653 in Oslo.

Stavanger $6,186
Oslo $6,653

Living in Stavanger costs roughly 8% less than in Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 139% above, Oslo 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 NOK 229

$21.75 NOK 202

13.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 NOK 910

$130 NOK 1,206

-24.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 151

$16.04 NOK 149

1.18%

Cappuccino

$6.22 NOK 57.7

$5.84 NOK 54.3

6.51%

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

$5.89 NOK 54.7

$4.38 NOK 40.67

34.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 42.07

$3.35 NOK 31.10

35.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.76 NOK 128

$11.65 NOK 108

18.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.62 NOK 98.7

$12.81 NOK 119

-17.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.48

$2.61 NOK 24.27

-3.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 32.69

$4.38 NOK 40.73

-19.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.94

$4.70 NOK 43.68

-15.32%

Eggs

$4.75 NOK 44.17

$6.25 NOK 58.1

-24.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 NOK 141

$15.48 NOK 144

-1.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 163

$15.84 NOK 147

10.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 336

$32.30 NOK 300

11.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.81

$3.36 NOK 31.17

5.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.55

$2.72 NOK 25.31

5.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.62

$3.65 NOK 33.92

-0.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NOK 45.80

$5.96 NOK 55.4

-17.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.73

$2.69 NOK 25.03

-5.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 28.91

$2.85 NOK 26.48

9.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.91

$3.26 NOK 30.30

-11.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.66

$2.50 NOK 23.22

-6.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.27 NOK 170

$19.21 NOK 178

-4.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 NOK 176

$16.64 NOK 155

13.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 35.34

$3.60 NOK 33.45

5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 41.90

$4.23 NOK 39.25

6.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.75 NOK 44.09

$5.02 NOK 46.65

-5.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 NOK 794

$83.5 NOK 775

2.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 NOK 58.3

$12.39 NOK 115

-49.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.73

$1.84 NOK 17.12

-2.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 983

$70.8 NOK 658

49.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.90

$2.48 NOK 23.05

-0.81%

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

$49.1K NOK 456.2K

$49.9K NOK 463.6K

-1.59%

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

$42.2K NOK 392.2K

$44.7K NOK 415.1K

-5.53%

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

$260 NOK 2,412

$433 NOK 4,027

-40.11%

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

$33.92 NOK 315

$34.50 NOK 321

-1.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 NOK 742

$55.7 NOK 517

43.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 NOK 483

$58.1 NOK 540

-10.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 NOK 350

$29.79 NOK 277

26.35%

Cinema Ticket

$22.16 NOK 206

$20.78 NOK 193

6.64%

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

$325 NOK 3,023

$240 NOK 2,226

35.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K NOK 133.2K

$16.2K NOK 150.2K

-11.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,205

$104 NOK 969

24.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 NOK 575

$61.8 NOK 574

0.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 NOK 1,401

$135 NOK 1,253

11.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 NOK 1,911

$160 NOK 1,487

28.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 NOK 16.8K

$2,133 NOK 19.8K

-15.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.3K

$1,645 NOK 15.3K

-13.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 NOK 26.9K

$3,270 NOK 30.4K

-11.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 NOK 19.9K

$2,466 NOK 22.9K

-13.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,468 NOK 60.1K

$12.4K NOK 114.9K

-47.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,430 NOK 50.4K

$7,462 NOK 69.3K

-27.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,086 NOK 47.3K

$4,703 NOK 43.7K

8.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

4.94

6.07%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 44%

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5% 15.1% $216

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$530 16.3%

Oslo

$530 15% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Stavanger

$452 13.9%

Oslo

$407 11.5% 10% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$373 11.5%

Oslo

$524 14.8% 40.2% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Oslo

$207 5.9% 15.9% $39

Getting Around

Stavanger

$120 3.7%

Oslo

$125 3.5% 4.6% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$96 3%

Oslo

$100 2.8% 3.5% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Stavanger and $2,133 in Oslo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $98 in Stavanger vs $130 in Oslo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $530 per month, with Stavanger cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇳🇴 Oslo

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

Same time as Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

1,098,061 Capital

💱 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

On the map

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Stavanger Oslo 300 km

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Stavanger
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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

Stavanger vs Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 8% higher in Stavanger, 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: $1,805 in Stavanger versus $2,133 in Oslo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Stavanger – a meal for two runs $98 versus $130 in Oslo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $325 in Stavanger versus $240 in Oslo. 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. Stavanger is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Stavanger delivers better value at $3,248 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Stavanger hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Stavanger and Oslo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.