Living in Oslo, Norway
Oslo is a large coastal city in Norway (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a cool climate, averaging 7°C over the year with about 759 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €4,602 a month to live centrally, and Norway sits in our high tax tier. For citizens from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, long-term residency in Norway is possible, with conditions, with a self-funded route from about $3,062 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €4,602
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- High
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 7°C
- 759 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 75/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~130 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Oslo
- Pricier than 100% of the cities we compare
- Colder than 96% of the cities we track
- Stronger healthcare than 86% of the cities we compare
- On or near the sea
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €4,602 a month to live centrally in Oslo, 69% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 1% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Climate
Oslo averages 7°C across the year with about 759 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 4% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Healthcare
Norway scores 75 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 86% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Norway.
Safety and stability
Norway scores 75 out of 100 on safety, safer than 79% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 9.8 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Norway. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Taxes
Norway sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Oslo in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Realistic long-term residency runs through either a skilled-worker job offer or establishing and actively running your own business (self-employed permit); Norway deliberately has no passive-income, retirement, or golden-visa route, and permanent residence follows after three years of permit-based stay.
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Norway:
- Income: about $3,062 a month (Norway self-employed person permit, business must be likely to yield pre-tax profit of NOK 341,373/yr (about NOK 28,448/mo); converted at 9.29 NOK per USD; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 105 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Language and culture
Main languages: Norwegian, English. English proficiency: good. Social openness scores 90 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Norway runs at about 130 Mbps, faster than 49% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Questions couples ask about Oslo
Is Oslo a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Oslo scores well on safety, healthcare, English, political stability and social openness. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a cool, moderately wet climate (7°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Oslo and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Oslo?
We estimate about €4,602 a month for a couple living centrally, 69% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Oslo?
Norway is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Oslo in their results.
Can foreigners live in Norway long term?
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: possible, with conditions. Realistic long-term residency runs through either a skilled-worker job offer or establishing and actively running your own business (self-employed permit); Norway deliberately has no passive-income, retirement, or golden-visa route, and permanent residence follows after three years of permit-based stay. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $3,062 a month (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Oslo?
Oslo averages 7°C across the year with about 759 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 4% of the cities we track.
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