Facts and numbers about the housing market in Oslo
Finding affordable housing in a suitable neighborhood is an important factor in feeling at home and settled, whether you want to buy or rent a place to live.
Price levels and neighborhoods
Price levels for housing in Oslo are generally high, making it one of the most important factors when looking for a place to live. Generally, the closer you want to live to the city center, the higher the average price levels are. This applies to properties both for rent and sale.
Oslo is a compact city, and there are areas and suburbs surrounding the city center with a lot of local activity, public transport and easier access to surrounding woods and recreational areas.
To get an idea of the market and the suitability of different neighborhoods, you can:
- use the house listing sites and search across different areas and types of housing
- go to public viewings
- research public transport, parking regulations and road traffic during rush hours
- use Google Street View and “walk” through the neighborhoods
- ask friends and colleagues or post questions in groups on social media
- google "areas, neighborhoods or boroughs in Oslo" to find information in travel guides and blogs
Statistics
If you are comfortable reading statistics, or you have someone to help you translate, these sources might be informative.
See Bydelsfakta (facts and numbers about the boroughs) by the City of Oslo (in Norwegian)
Go to ssb.no to see statistics about housing (in Norwegian)
Statistics about rented properties
Statistics Norway (SSB) provides national statistics about rented properties broken down by square meters, number of rooms and local area.
Go to ssb.no to see the rental market survey
Boligbygg Oslo is responsible for all the municipal properties in Oslo.
See average rental prices in Oslo by Boligbygg (in Norwegian)
Hybel.no is a private company in the rental market. They provide statistics for the biggest cities, here filtered by Oslo
Go to hybel.no for statistics about rented properties in Oslo
Statistics about the real estate market in Oslo
If you want to buy your own home, the real estate agents will be able to provide you with detailed information about price levels across the different areas and types of housing. They can also provide you with information about the regulations and processes when buying a home in Norway.
Many banks and investment advisers also regularly publish prognosis and analysis about the property market.
Norwegian search terms:
Boligpriser, prisindeks/prisstatistikk bolig = house price index/statistics
Boligmarkedet, eiendomsmarkedet = the real estate market, property market
The Norwegian Association of Real Estate Agents (NEF) have articles about selling and buying homes, as well as price statistics for sold properties.
Go to nef.no for a list of Norwegian-English vocabulary regarding housing (pdf)
Other helpful links
General information about housing (bolig) in the encyclopedia Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian)
Map over different types of green spaces in Oslo
Social security services
The Norwegian State Housing Bank provides financial support for certain groups who are struggling to enter the housing market. This is called startup loan (startlån).
The City of Oslo also has several types of housing support for those with low income.