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OSLO

Why Oslo is one of the ‘best cities in Europe’ for single people

Norwegian capital Oslo has been ranked third in a list of the 50 best cities in Europe for singles in 2019.

Why Oslo is one of the 'best cities in Europe' for single people
Photo: Martynova.Katie/Depositphotos

The highest proportion (52.9 percent) of single-person households in Europe was recorded in the Norwegian capital, while residents of Norway are amongst the top users of dating apps in Europe, with 31 percent of people in Oslo saying they use dating apps, according to Statista figures.

That adds up to make Oslo one of the cities where you’ll have the best chances of finding love — or at least a date for the evening, according to global travel site Big 7 Travel, which put together the list of the best towns in Europe to be unattached.

Using data from Eurostat, individual country census statistics, dating app usage data and a survey of singles across Europe, the company came up with an overall analysis of which cities are best for dating and enjoying single life.

Specifically, the ranking draws on the highest usage rate of dating apps Tinder and Badoo; the population of single people per capita according to Eurostat; app data and subjective votes given by survey participants.

Additionally, the overall population of cities was included as a factor in the measure: you don’t want a date where you’ll bump into the person the next day, the travel company reasons.

Bearing that in mind, Oslo – with its relatively small population size of 670,000 (or 1 million for its greater urban area) – performed well in the other categories to finish so high on the list.

Oslo was not the highest-ranking Nordic city on the list, with Swedish capital Stockholm taking the title of number 1 city to be single. Madrid was second.

London, Berlin, Geneva, Paris, Oxford, Tallinn and Limerick completed the top 10.

One other Norwegian destination made the top 50: Bergen came in 49th place, between UK city Birmingham and Ljubljana in Slovenia.

READ ALSO: Norway no longer world's happiest country: report

RENTING

Rental prices in Norway’s biggest cities continue to rise

The cost of renting in Norway's four largest cities rose overall during the third quarter, with prices up six percent this year, figures from Real Estate Norway show. 

Rental prices in Norway's biggest cities continue to rise

A sharp increase in rent prices in Norway continued throughout the third quarter, figures from Real Estate Norway (Eiendom Norge) released on Tuesday show. 

“Real Estate Norway’s rental housing price statistics show a historically strong rise in rental housing prices in Norway in the third quarter,” Henning Lauridsen, CEO of Real Estate Norway, stated in a report on the latest figures. 

Growth was most robust in Stavanger and Oslo, according to Real Estate Norway. 

“The strong growth in rental prices we have seen in the wake of the pandemic continued in the third quarter, and it is particularly in the Stavanger region and in Oslo that the growth in rental prices is strong,” Lauridsen said. 

Stavanger and nearby Sandnes saw the largest price increases, with the cost of renting there increasing by 4.7 percent during the third quarter. During the same period, rents in Oslo increased by 2.5 percent, while a marginal 0.3 percent rise was recorded in Trondheim. 

While the cost of renting in Norway’s four largest cities overall increased by 2 percent, rental prices in Bergen declined. There, rents fell by 2.5 percent in the third quarter.

Lauridsen said that the increase in rental prices was likely to continue due to several factors. High inflation, interest rates, increased taxes on rental properties and a low supply of homes on the market all contributed to increasing rents. 

However, he did note that the supply of rental homes on the market had increased in Trondheim and Oslo since the summer. 

Lauridsen said that the least well-off financially were being hit hardest by rent rises. Previously, the Norwegian government has informed The Local that it will not introduce a temporary cap on rent increases. 

READ MORE: Norway’s government rules out a temporary rent cap

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