Oslo, city in Norway, sits in third place in the World Survey Cost Life which was performed by the Intelligence Unit of The Economist.

It is well known by everyone that if you wish to move to Norway, either you do so with a job and some monthly income, or you either travel with a vast amount of savings to survive during the months while you look for a job. This is because the estimated prices are more than twice than in some other European cities as Barcelona. This calculation was made by comparing the average prices of 14 products between Oslo and Barcelona. It is also well known that the Norwegians have an excellent character when it comes to work: they are efficient, formal and they like to complete all their jobs and tasks at the established time. Their work schedule is usually 8 am to 4 pm.

 Thanks to the study conducted by the National Institute for Consumer Research in Norway (SIFO), they found out that, approximately, the cost of an individual in Norway are as follows: a person who is between 18 and 60 years old will spend around 330 € on food and drink and pay a monthly rent of 2,200 €. They will also spend around 105 € on clothing and health, 122 € in general activities and 80€ in public transportation. That means that in total, they will spend around 2,837 € a month. In some European countries, it would be unthinkable that a young man would have that minimum amount of income in order to afford such expenses, but a person in Oslo has a mean wage of 5,200 €.  Therefore, even after paying their monthly expenses, they still have 2,363 € to spend on other things or to save.

Renting a bedroom studio at the city center is 1,050 € a month while in the suburbs rounds the 782 €. If you prefer a flat with 3 bedrooms in the center, it costs about 2,200 € a month, while in the suburbs it would be around 1,650 €. Concerning food, a liter of milk is about 2.80 € and a coffee in a bar 4 €, same as a soda. A beer bottle is 4 € and a glass of beer, which contains a 0.4 L, reaches the 12 €. A main dish at a dinner (as a Chinese or a pizza) costs 15-20 € while in other European cities you can find it for 7 € or less. Even the Big Mac is more expensive, since it costs 11 € in Oslo whereas in neighboring countries is around 6 €.

A public transportation ticket costs 4 € while a liter of petrol is 1.80 € (which changes depending on the market). The bill for electricity, water, gas and garbage collection reaches the total amount of 220 €. Internet, which is a basic need nowadays, costs around 38 € per month. Regarding cloth, Levis pants costs about 110 € and a dress at H&M costs 45 €. Leisure activities also have high prices, as movie ticket costs 20 €, a concert around 35€, a monthly fitness or gym costs 62 € and even the newspaper is more expensive, as most of them cost about 3 € each.

In conclusion, Oslo is the third most expensive city in the world but their average wages are much higher than in other Western European city.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/mar/05/singapore-most-expensive-cities-2014-list-paris

http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2014/03/daily-chart-1

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/07/business/worlds-priciest-city-to-be-expatriate/index.html

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Norway&city=Oslo

http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-review/Norway-Oslo_151.cfm