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Where can you find cheap beer in Oslo?

Shop and bar prices, sales hours and the 4.7 per cent limit.

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Short answer

The cheapest beer in Oslo is bought in grocery shops: Visit Norway's 2026 averages are NOK 35–50 for a half-litre bottle there and NOK 100–140 in a bar. Shops sell beer up to 4.7 per cent alcohol from 08:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and until 18:00 on Saturdays.

Nightlife on a budget in Norway a wallet with a few Norwegian krone coins, a receipt and a small price tag in front of a mountain silhouette

Why

  1. The City of Oslo allows beer sales in grocery shops from 08:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and from 08:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays, with no sales on Sundays and public holidays.
  2. Since 1993, strong beer and other drinks above 4.7 per cent alcohol may only be sold at Vinmonopolet, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
  3. Statistics Norway reports that alcohol and tobacco prices in Norway are more than twice the EU average, largely because of high excise duties.

Details

Bar prices vary from venue to venue, so the Visit Norway figures are a national guide, not an Oslo price list. On Easter Eve, Whitsun Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, Oslo shops stop selling beer at 18:00. On Whitsun Eve and Christmas Eve, shops larger than 100 square metres stop at 16:00.

Tip

Buy beer before 18:00 on Saturday if you want it for Sunday, because Oslo shops cannot sell beer on Sundays or public holidays.

What may differ

Other municipalities set their own sales hours. National law allows grocery shops to sell beer until 20:00 at the latest on weekdays and 18:00 on Saturdays, so hours outside Oslo can be shorter.

Common misconception

Supermarkets in Norway sell all kinds of beer.

What actually happens

Grocery shops may only sell beer and other drinks with up to 4.7 per cent alcohol. Stronger beer is sold only at Vinmonopolet.

People also ask

  • Where is the cheapest beer in Oslo?

Sources

Prices change, so check Visit Norway and the City of Oslo before you go.

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