Is Oslo Expensive? (The Answer Might Surprise You)

💵 3 Ways Oslo is Insanely Expensive

If you’re asking yourself ‘is Oslo an expensive city for tourists?’, then the answer is definitely a resounding yes. In certain ways – food, drinks, and accommodation – Oslo is incredibly pricey.

Here’s everything you need to know about how expensive Oslo is to travel, and my tips on saving money where you can.

🍽 Food is very pricey

The cost of food in Oslo shocked us, even coming from a city as expensive as London.

You will struggle to find a sit-down meal that starts any lower than about £13 per dish, and this can quickly increase into the £20s. For example, a margherita pizza from a stall at a popular food market will cost £18-£22.

If you’re planning to frequent nice restaurants, allow for higher prices in your travel budget.

There are cheaper options for those travelling on a budget, but they are still considered expensive compared to most of the world.

A pre-made sandwich from the 7-Eleven will still cost around £6, and a McDonald’s combo meal (including a drink) will be around £12. In fact, Oslo now has the world’s most expensive Big Mac!

Don’t expect supermarket prices to be much cheaper. A loaf of bread will still range between £3-£5, making Oslo not just an expensive city to eat out in, but an expensive city to eat altogether.

🍺 Soft Drinks and Alcohol Will run up Your Budget

Equally, expect to find soft drinks and alcohol expensive in Oslo. 

Soft drinks range from £3.50-£5, depending on where you’re buying from, whilst the uncharge on alcohol is even higher. A beer will generally cost around £8, and a glass of wine will start from about £13. 

However, there’s fortunately no need to buy bottled water. Tap water in Oslo is delicious, and all restaurants will serve it to you for free. 

READ MORE | Wondering how much money I spent on a five day skiing and sightseeing trip to Oslo? Check out my Oslo travel money diaries post!

🏨 High Living Costs Make Finding Cheap Accommodation Difficult

In the entire city of Oslo, there are just 5 hostels. Yup, you read that right – 5.

As you can imagine, finding cheap accommodation is not easy. Dorms at a hostel start from just €25 a night. But, with so few of them in the city, they can book out incredibly fast – especially during peak travel season.

You can camp (for free) anywhere, so long as it’s more than 150m from the nearest house. But that’s not personally my preferred way to travel.

I found AirBnB significantly cheaper than getting a hotel. Plus, having a kitchen meant we could cook our own meals. Although supermarket groceries are still expensive in comparison to London, this definitely helped save on costs.

As with most cities, staying slightly further from the centre is a huge cost-save. Since we left after breakfast and stayed out until late in the evening, we found the accommodation savings more than made up for the time and money spent travelling into the city centre.

🥂 5 Ways Oslo Isn’t as Expensive as You Think

If you’re asking yourself ‘is Oslo cheap or expensive’, you might just be surprised by the answer. In five key ways, Oslo is a much less expensive to travel and explore than you may have been lead to believe.

Whether its flights, skiing, or the number of budget things to do, you really can make the most of your time in Oslo on a very limited budget.

Here are my top five ways that Oslo is less expensive than you might think!

🛩 Flights to Oslo are Surprisingly cheap

I recommend looking at Norwegian Air, Ryanair and EasyJet for budget flights to and within Norway – you’ll be surprised at how cheaply you can find even long haul flights. They fly frequently, with morning or evening flights always being the cheapest.

Sign up to arline email newsletters so you’re the first to know about flight sales / deals. You can also ‘watch’ flights on Google and Skyscanner. They will send you notifications and email alerts when there’s a significant change in price. 

This is how I managed to find my friend return flights to Oslo for just £13! And, when you live in London, you can’t help but calculate that’s less than two rum & cokes. Frankly, I’d rather the flight to Norway.

READ MORE | For more tips on getting budget flights, check out my ultimate guide to finding and booking unmissable deals

📸 Oslo Is Insanely Beautiful No matter Where You Go

You can basically fly into any part of Norway and experience its natural beauty, including Oslo. Seriously – I’m not even joking – the whole country is gorgeous!

You don’t have to travel far to find picturesque scenery, so I guarantee you’ll come back with an Insta feed to make your friends jealous.

🚶‍♀️It’s a Very Walkable City

Oslo is an incredibly walkable city. If you are able to and you enjoy walking, this is the perfect city to save your money on bus tickets and get some steps in instead.

Whilst some areas, such as Holmenkollen and the museums, are slightly further out than others, you could easily see some of the highlights on foot. 

If you can cycle (confession: I can’t), you can rent a bike quite cheaply too. It’s a popular way for the locals to travel, giving you an authentic city experience, and a great way to see the city (and enjoy the ridiculously clean air). 

As a Londoner, I was surprised at how affordable public transport was in Oslo. You can get a 24 hour travel pass for zone 1 (aka basically everywhere you’ll want to go, besides the airport) for just £9.

You can purchase these in any train station and at a few of the large bus stops, so they’re easy to come by. For 24 hours, you can get on as many trams, trains, buses and ferries as you need – you can even visit the Oslo fjords for free!

The best part is, if you time your journeys well, you can even squeeze in a free bonus trip the next morning before the pass expires.

However, I know how quickly the costs can add up when you take them frequently. We tried to either buy a day pass (and use it as much as possible within the 24 hours), or do some walking between sights so we take fewer buses.

🏞 The best things to do in Oslo are free

The sheer number of free things to do in Oslo make it a fantastic budget destination. Explore the sights of the city and escape the bustle and enjoy Norway’s natural beauty. Either way, you can definitely do it without breaking the budget!

You can also take the train through some picturesque mountains to Tryvann, or go for a hike. Let’s be honest, most people come to Norway for the nature – enjoy it.

Some of my favourite free things to do in Oslo are:

• The Oslo Opera House: Located right next to the harbour, this gorgeous architectural icon is a must-see. Not only is the building itself worth seeing, but you’re allowed to climb on the roof and get free panoramic views of the city.
• Vigeland Park: Located within Frogner Park, this park boasts over 200 bronze, granite and cast iron sculptures.
• Akershus Fortress: A medieval castle built in the 1300s. The area has now become a popular venue for major events, such as concerts and and ceremonies, but the castle itself has maintained its historical significance and stunning architecture.
• Oslofjords: This one’s pretty self-explanatory. They’re stunning.
• Botanical Garden: In Tøyen, you’ll find a huge garden boasting approximately 1800 different plants. They also have a Scent Garden – an experience for all, but designed specifically for those who are blind, mentally-handicapped and wheelchair bound.
• There are also certain events held throughout the year where you can get free or discounted entry – you can find the list on the official VisitOslo website here.

⛷ Snow sports are surprisingly cheap

Cheap snow sports are my ultimate highlight in Oslo. They make the city an incredible winter vacation, especially for those looking to travel on a budget.

We spent two days skiing in Oslo Winterpark, and had the most amazing time for a fraction of the cost of more popular European skiing locations such as France, Austria and Germany. The Winterpark is fairly small, but is the perfect size for beginners and amateurs. Pro skiers may be bored with the limited offering, given there’s only a single Black ski slope. 

One of my favourite budget-friendly activities in Olso, and something I will be recommending to friends for years to come, is to go sledding down Korketrekkeren. It’s a 2km run that was built for the 1952 winter Olympics.

The slope starts by the Frognerseteren station, nearby which you can rent sleds for the whole day. We rented two family-sized ones to fit the four of us, and it came to just £24!

It takes you all the way down to the Midstuen metro station, and then you can take the train back up to go again. The run takes around 8-10 minutes, though it’ll take longer if you’re a scaredy cat like me and keep slowing down.

Don’t forget your GoPro, because you can get up to speeds of 180kmph in the corners!

PACK LIKE A PRO | For my top tips on staying warm on the slopes, check out my ultimate ski trip packing list.

❔ Why is Oslo so Expensive?

Oslo has an incredibly high cost of living.

This is driven by a number of factors – a high standard of living, a strong economy, and high taxation rates imposed by the Government on certain goods, such as alcohol and tobacco.

The high cost of housing and food make Oslo an expensive city to visit.

🎟 Is it worth buying the Oslo Pass?

You can buy an Oslo pass for 24, 48 and 72 hours. It provides unlimited travel on all forms of transport in zones 1 and 2 – this includes use of the ferries to get to the fjords.

You also get free entry to over 30 museums, ranging from the expensive ones (like the Norwegian Folk Museum and the Viking Ship Museum) to the lesser-known Reptile Museum.

The pass also provides free guided walking tours and discounts to some restaurants.

However, it’s not a cheap pass to get – prices start from 395 NOK (approx €40) and go all the way up to 745 NOK (approx €79), depending on which version you get.

You can, however, get a 20% discount for picking it up in person. Still, I personally feel it’s only worth it if you’re planning on frequenting the museums – they’re the real big-ticket costs in Oslo.

The Folk museum, for example, is already 150 NOK entry. If you can go to just 3 museums in a day, you’ve easily made back the cost of the ticket.

🎬 Final Thoughts on ‘Is Oslo Expensive For Tourists?’

Oslo is absolutely an expensive city to visit. But the charm of the city is that it’s as expensive as you make it.

If you want to stay in the city centre, eat out for every meal, and indulge in a few glasses of wine at dinner. Then, yes, you will find Oslo to be significantly more expensive than likely any other city you’ve visited.

If you are looking for a fun and charming budget winter vacation, Oslo is still perfect for you. Stay further out from the city centre, embrace the beauty of the city by walking between destinations, and avoid eating out where possible – you can still have an incredible holiday in Oslo on a shoestring budget.

Overall, I seriously loved my visit to Oslo, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Norway. It’s a beautiful country, and can definitely be travelled on a budget – so don’t let people tell you otherwise!

Have you been to Oslo? If not, after reading this post, are you now thinking of going?