Village life or city life?

I am looking for a place to live in Norway and there seem to be a few options on location.

The first is to live in Ås, the village where my job is at. It is a really small place (18k people) and does not have much of a town feel to it (the houses are pretty spread out to either end of the university and along the main road that crosses the area). Most of the international students seem to live here, mainly due to the convenience of being close to work.


The second alternative is to live in Oslo, which is 30 minutes away by bus. Living here would mean I'd pay as much to share an apartment in 4 as I would for a small studio in Ås, plus the train. The advantages of the city life are the same everywhere: more cultural happenings, places to go, etc (and you have to consider that indoor activities are a must in the long dark winter). The downsides are the same as well...

The third option, is to live in Drøbak, a fairy-tale town by the sea and right on the fjord! It is beautiful and only 9km away! But after going there during the week to look at an apartment and seeing how dead the village is after 5pm I revised the alternatives and crossed this one out. I figured I can always go there on the weekends for a stroll around.

And all of this choosing is further complicated by the available housing... Now is when students start their semester, which means that there are too many people looking for housing (both in Oslo and in Ås) and few rental options. Which makes me either consider every apartment as the only one I might get a chance to have...

So... any suggestions? Big city or village?