Europe's most expensive country — here is how to make it affordable
🔥 Book Tours 🏠 Compare HotelsNorway is consistently ranked as one of the most expensive countries in Europe for visitors. A mid-range trip costs roughly 150-200 EUR/day per person. However, with the right strategy, Norway can be done on a much tighter budget — and the experiences are worth the investment.
Norway is expensive for accommodation. Oslo hostels from 35-55 EUR/night for a dorm bed. Budget hotels from 100-130 EUR/night. Mid-range hotels in Oslo and Bergen from 130-180 EUR/night. Outside cities, fjord guesthouses and family-run pensjonater offer better value — from 80-120 EUR/night.
Restaurant meals in Norway are expensive — expect 200-350 NOK (17-30 EUR) for a main course. A cafe lunch is 150-200 NOK. A pint of beer is 90-120 NOK (8-10 EUR). The budget strategy: buy from supermarkets (Rema 1000, Kiwi and Coop are the cheapest) for breakfast and some lunches — this alone can save 40-60 EUR/day.
The Flytoget Airport Express from Oslo Airport is fast (20 minutes) but costs 220 NOK — the regular airport bus (Flybussen) costs 120-150 NOK and takes 45 minutes. City transport: Oslo T-bane, tram and bus from 40 NOK/journey. Intercity buses (Vy Buss) are cheaper than trains for some routes.
Norway's high prices aren't a tourist markup — locals pay the same restaurant and grocery prices, a direct result of high wages, high taxes and a deliberately regulated alcohol market (wine and spirits are sold only through the state-run Vinmonopolet). Understanding this helps recalibrate expectations: you're not being overcharged as a visitor, the entire economy simply operates at a different price level than most of Europe.
The upside is that Norway's best experiences — hiking to Preikestolen, driving a Norwegian Scenic Route, watching the midnight sun from a fjord-side campsite — are free or nearly free. The expense is concentrated almost entirely in food, accommodation and alcohol, all of which can be meaningfully reduced with the self-catering and camping strategies below.
Norway's allemannsretten ("every man's right") law allows free wild camping on uncultivated land, including near most fjords and mountains, as long as you camp at least 150 metres from any dwelling and leave no trace. This is one of Norway's best-kept budget secrets — a tent and a sleeping bag can replace weeks of accommodation costs for travellers willing to hike in and camp responsibly.
Is Norway really more expensive than Switzerland? They're broadly comparable, with Norway often edging slightly higher on alcohol and restaurant dining specifically.
Can you visit Norway on a true shoestring? Yes, but it requires real commitment to self-catering, camping or DNT huts, and public transport over taxis — budget travellers who do this report daily costs as low as 60-70 EUR/day.
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