http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/s...026172,00.html

Oslo knocks Tokyo from top spot as most expensive city

Richard Adams
Thursday August 21, 2003
The Guardian

The Norwegian capital of Oslo yesterday found itself at the top of one league that it does not pay to win - as the world's most expensive city.

A comparison of the prices of goods and services around the globe by Swiss financial services group UBS found that Oslo has replaced the perennial high-cost city Tokyo as the league leader.

Using a basket of more than 100 common goods and services, but excluding rent and housing, the UBS researchers found that Oslo was 10% more costly than Hong Kong, Tokyo or New York, and nearly 20% more expensive than its Scandinavian neighbour Copenhagen.

London was ranked seventh, with an index rating of 98.9 compared with Oslo's 117.8 and New York's 104.5.

Mumbai, the financial capital of India, sits at the bottom of the list of 70 cities with a rating of 28.7, just below Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, with 30.6.

"It is interesting that Buenos Aires now ranks so far down the league table, since the Argentinian capital was the most expensive city in South America three years ago, before the economic crisis and the decoupling of the peso from the US dollar," UBS said.

The high-octane performance of Oslo can be put down to the strong appreciation of Norway's currency, the krone, while Tokyo's fall from the top spot after many years as the world's costliest city is the result of Japan's weak economy and lower prices.

The good news for Norwegians is that their higher prices are both caused and mitigated by higher wages. The survey ranked Oslo fourth highest in earnings, behind Zurich, Copenhagen and Basel in Switzerland.

Mumbai again propped up the table, with workers earning only 3.1% of the wages paid in Zurich.

The survey has some valuable evidence about the effect of the euro. It found that the euro has caused prices of many goods and services to converge within the single currency zone, but UBS said there was "still a long way to go before prices are harmonised."

fraisse10 wrote:
Believe me it wasn't! More of a warning, I suppose. I've missed many a train and bus because they left ahead of schedule.

Ok so there are no miles for using it but you can cruise to Bergen from England for three nights for £49 including a cabin.

That per mile has to be cheaper than a mileage run.

http://www.fjordline.co.uk/cruise_of..._frameset.html

And Oslo Gardemoen (sp?) is the world's most stylish airport - a real IKEA airport. It is way up in my list of favourite airports.

Norway, especially Oslo, are really fantatic places. My first alone trip abroad was to Norway.

Just some thoughts:
-I highly recommend a SCANRAIL railpass if you plan on doing extensive traveling around Norway. For under $300 I travelled to Trondheim, Bodo (very neat aviation musuem in Bodo, by the way), Bergen, and Oslo. I also spent two days in Tromso (had to take a flight from Bodo), which has to be one of the most incredible cities I have ever visited. Also, there are several night trains operated between Oslo and major cities. These are great, enabling one to spend a full day in one city and be in another city ready to go the next morning.
-Norway truly is a tourist friendly nation. I received a warm welcome from everyone I met.
-The airport is Oslo is really something else!
-I did manage to find some deals on Rica hotels online. I stayed in the Oslo Grand hotel (perfect location, a real amzaing place) for something on the order of $100/night. The hotel is huge and they upgraded me to an incredible suite at no extra cost (I didn't even ask nor was I told, I just got to the room and was awestruck!)

I have very fond memories of Norway and look forward to returning someday.

FlyerBeek

And while we're in on all the scenic stuff, and in no way trying to blow my own horn or trying to root with the home team: it has to be said that the fairer of the genders tens to be very exceptional in Norway http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif