City comparison
Oslo vs Vienna: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Vienna is the cheaper of the two — our estimate for a single person is about €800 a month less than Oslo, mostly because of rent. Vienna has the milder winter (about 5°C vs 1°C average highs in Dec–Feb). They’re in different countries, so visa routes, taxes and healthcare differ too — see below.
Choose Oslo for
- English-friendliness
- Nature & green space
- Beach life
- Mountains nearby
Choose Vienna for
- Affordability
- Sunny, warm climate
- Walkability
- Public transport
- Lower living costs
Oslo vs Vienna at a glance
| Oslo | Vienna | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Norway | Austria |
| Single budget / month | €2,700 | €1,900 |
| Couple budget / month | €3,800 | €2,700 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,600 | €1,050 |
| Winter highs (Dec–Feb) | 1°C / 33°F | 5°C / 42°F |
| Summer highs (Jun–Aug) | 21°C / 71°F | 26°C / 80°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 1,725 | 2,048 |
| City size | Capital / metropolis | Capital / metropolis |
| Coastal | Yes | No |
| Direct flights to the US | Yes | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Oslo or Vienna?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €2,700 a month for one person in Oslo and €1,900 in Vienna, rent included. For a couple it’s €3,800 vs €2,700, and for a family of four €6,200 vs €4,600.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,600 in Oslo against €1,050 in Vienna, while a monthly transit pass costs €90 vs €39. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 1°C (33°F) in Oslo and 5°C (42°F) in Vienna. In summer it’s roughly 21°C vs 26°C. Oslo gets about 1,725 hours of sunshine a year and Vienna about 2,048.
1,725 hours of sunshine a year · 835 mm of rain a year · Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute (Seklima) 1991-2020 normals for Oslo-Blindern, as tabulated on Wikipedia 'Oslo'; sunshine from the same page
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0°C / 32°F | -5°C / 24°F |
| Feb | 1°C / 34°F | -5°C / 24°F |
| Mar | 5°C / 42°F | -2°C / 28°F |
| Apr | 11°C / 52°F | 2°C / 36°F |
| May | 17°C / 62°F | 7°C / 44°F |
| Jun | 20°C / 69°F | 11°C / 51°F |
| Jul | 23°C / 73°F | 13°C / 56°F |
| Aug | 21°C / 70°F | 13°C / 55°F |
| Sep | 16°C / 62°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| Oct | 10°C / 49°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| Nov | 4°C / 40°F | 0°C / 32°F |
| Dec | 1°C / 34°F | -4°C / 25°F |
2,048 hours of sunshine a year · 669 mm of rain a year · Source: ZAMG/GeoSphere Austria 1991-2020 normals for Wien-Innere Stadt, as tabulated on Wikipedia 'Vienna'
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4°C / 40°F | -0°C / 32°F |
| Feb | 7°C / 45°F | 1°C / 34°F |
| Mar | 11°C / 52°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| Apr | 17°C / 63°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| May | 21°C / 70°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| Jun | 26°C / 78°F | 16°C / 62°F |
| Jul | 27°C / 80°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Aug | 27°C / 80°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Sep | 22°C / 71°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Oct | 15°C / 59°F | 9°C / 48°F |
| Nov | 10°C / 49°F | 5°C / 41°F |
| Dec | 5°C / 40°F | 1°C / 33°F |
Daily life
Oslo is a capital / metropolis on the coast; Vienna is a capital / metropolis. Oslo gives you fjord, forest and ski slopes inside the city limits, high salaries and a calm pace, at some of the highest prices in Europe. About EUR 2,700 a month covers a comfortable single life. It works best if you arrive with a skilled-worker job offer. Vienna is a big, safe, beautiful capital with an excellent public transport system and a cost of living well below the Nordic capitals. German matters here, and the legal route in for non-EU citizens is the points-based Red-White-Red Card. Budget about EUR 1,900 a month for a comfortable single life.
Living in Oslo: the upsides and downsides
- Forest, fjord and ski slopes accessible by metro
- Very safe and quiet for a capital
- Excellent English
- Downside: Among the most expensive cities in our set
- Downside: Long, dark winters
Living in Vienna: the upsides and downsides
- Public transport annual pass costs EUR 467
- Rich cultural scene and walkable centre
- Sunnier and warmer than Nordic capitals
- Downside: German needed for paperwork and everyday admin
- Downside: Red-White-Red Card is tied to an Austrian employer
Visas and residency
Oslo is in Norway and Vienna is in Austria. The main routes for each:
- Norway Skilled Worker Residence Permit — Work permit, open
- Austria Red-White-Red Card — Work permit, open, €3,465/mo income
Read the full guides: living in Oslo and living in Vienna.
Related comparisons
- Vienna vs Copenhagen
- Vienna vs Stockholm
- Prague vs Vienna
- Copenhagen vs Oslo
- Budapest vs Vienna
- Oslo vs Stockholm
- Munich vs Vienna
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 40 cities we cover. Methodology.