Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Norway

For one person, living is cheaper in the United Kingdom: $2,462 a month against $2,917 in Norway, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

United Kingdom
Norway
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,462
/mo nomad
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,917
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Norway

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,917 in Norway, rent included.

  • United Kingdom $2,462
  • Norway $2,917

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $4,347 in Norway, rent included.

  • United Kingdom $3,600
  • Norway $4,347

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $5,776 in Norway, rent included.

  • United Kingdom $4,738
  • Norway $5,776

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Norway ($1,521–$3,538), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is roughly 16% lower than in Norway on average.

Both the United Kingdom and Norway are pricier than the global median – the United Kingdom by 81%, Norway by 114%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United Kingdom
Norway
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.48 £16.04
$23.16 NOK 213
-7.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.7 £64.0
$106 NOK 976
-19.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.61 £7.92
$16.07 NOK 148
-33.98%
Cappuccino
$4.91 £3.67
$5.77 NOK 53.0
-14.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 £1.99
$4.15 NOK 38.11
-35.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 £1.39
$3.21 NOK 29.46
-41.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.63 £4.95
$11.76 NOK 108
-43.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.84 £5.11
$11.59 NOK 106
-40.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
Norway
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 £1.25
$2.43 NOK 22.34
-30.86%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 £1.28
$3.89 NOK 35.74
-55.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 £1.62
$3.67 NOK 33.76
-40.87%
Eggs
$4.00 £2.99
$5.38 NOK 49.45
-25.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.42 £7.03
$13.96 NOK 128
-32.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 £6.86
$16.77 NOK 154
-45.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.77 £11.03
$32.96 NOK 303
-55.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.97 £2.21
$3.77 NOK 34.61
-21.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 £1.21
$2.87 NOK 26.33
-43.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.85 £2.13
$3.65 NOK 33.57
-21.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.52 £2.63
$5.36 NOK 49.22
-34.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 £1.37
$2.74 NOK 25.16
-33.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.61 £1.20
$3.13 NOK 28.73
-48.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 £0.93
$2.94 NOK 27.01
-57.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 £1.24
$2.32 NOK 21.33
-28.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.65 £17.66
$18.04 NOK 166
31.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.50 £7.84
$18.09 NOK 166
-41.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.98 £2.23
$3.62 NOK 33.30
-17.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.51 £2.62
$4.49 NOK 41.24
-21.83%
🚌 Getting Around
United Kingdom
Norway
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.98 £2.97
$4.81 NOK 44.15
-17.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$107 £80.2
$84.1 NOK 772
27.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.18 £3.87
$12.48 NOK 115
-58.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.35 £1.75
$1.86 NOK 17.12
26.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.84 £20.04
$72.9 NOK 670
-63.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.48
$2.30 NOK 21.16
-13.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.4K £29.5K
$49.4K NOK 453.9K
-20.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K £30.2K
$44.9K NOK 412.3K
-9.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
Norway
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$327 £244
$279 NOK 2,562
17.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.21 £13.60
$39.68 NOK 365
-54.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.60 £32.56
$74.2 NOK 681
-41.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
Norway
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.36 £31.63
$50.9 NOK 468
-16.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.22 £13.60
$37.79 NOK 347
-51.79%
Cinema Ticket
$13.85 £10.34
$18.88 NOK 173
-26.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United Kingdom
Norway
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,868 £1,395
$297 NOK 2,732
528.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.6K £16.9K
$8,106 NOK 74.5K
179.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
Norway
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.9 £69.4
$111 NOK 1,017
-16.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.92 £34.29
$57.4 NOK 528
-20.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 £75.9
$125 NOK 1,150
-18.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 £76.3
$171 NOK 1,573
-40.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
Norway
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,342 £1,002
$1,491 NOK 13.7K
-9.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,073 £801
$1,169 NOK 10.7K
-8.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,231 £1,666
$2,330 NOK 21.4K
-4.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,742 £1,301
$1,851 NOK 17.0K
-5.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,601 £4,182
$7,127 NOK 65.5K
-21.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,265 £3,185
$5,279 NOK 48.5K
-19.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United Kingdom
Norway
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,349 £2,501
$4,273 NOK 39.3K
-21.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.32
4.99
6.61%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Norway: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
$1.1K
Norway
$1.2K 8.9% $96
Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
$389
Norway
$393 1% $3.7
Eating Out
United Kingdom
$328
Norway
$414 26.4% $87
Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
$307
Norway
$519 68.8% $212
Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
$154
Norway
$209 35.5% $55
Getting Around
United Kingdom
$140
Norway
$125 10.8% $15
Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
$70
Norway
$89 26.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $1,278 in Norway. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $2,133 in Oslo.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $4,024 in Norway. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 28% more in Norway.

Public transport is 23% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 24% higher in Norway.

Good to know
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇳🇴 Norway
🕒 Local time
18:19 6:19 PM
19:19 7:19 PM
1 h ahead of the United Kingdom
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
67,326,569
5,594,340
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • United Kingdom Norway 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • United Kingdom
  • Norway

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
United Kingdom vs Norway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Norway more expensive than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 16% lower on average.
Is everything cheaper in the United Kingdom?
Not necessarily. Overall, Norway costs about 19% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Norway. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.
Should I move to Norway or to the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

United Kingdom vs other spots: cost of living compared

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