Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Arendal

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,679 in Arendal, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Arendal

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Arendal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,679 in Arendal.

Athens $1,775
Arendal $2,679

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,805 in Arendal.

Athens $2,721
Arendal $3,805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,931 in Arendal.

Athens $3,666
Arendal $4,931

Living in Athens costs roughly 34% less than in Arendal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Arendal 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$19.51 NOK 184

-14.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$65.8 NOK 619

3.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$15.52 NOK 146

-28.22%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$5.33 NOK 50.2

-24.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.46

$3.49 NOK 32.84

-20.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$3.25 NOK 30.62

-83.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$11.55 NOK 109

-50.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$12.08 NOK 114

-54.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.31 NOK 21.78

-21.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.47 NOK 32.63

-60.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.78 NOK 35.56

-25.93%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.93 NOK 46.38

-2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$14.81 NOK 139

1.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$14.35 NOK 135

-25.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$33.30 NOK 314

-44.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.49 NOK 32.83

-36.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.63 NOK 24.75

-27.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.48 NOK 32.74

-60.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.74 NOK 44.63

-55.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.55 NOK 23.97

-57.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.10 NOK 29.18

-63.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.82 NOK 26.55

-60.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.24 NOK 21.13

-60.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$17.67 NOK 166

-68.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$14.46 NOK 136

-29.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$3.74 NOK 35.19

-43.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$4.38 NOK 41.27

-48.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.69 NOK 34.72

-63.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$90.2 NOK 849

-66.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$6.11 NOK 57.5

-27.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.70 NOK 16.03

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$105 NOK 986

-83.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.26 NOK 21.31

-0.44%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K €24.9K

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

-41.92%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.2K €25.1K

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

-31.13%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$205 €182

$252 NOK 2,372

-18.80%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.65 €23.71

$34.68 NOK 326

-23.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$79.7 NOK 751

-61.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$36.61 NOK 345

48.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$15.38 NOK 145

-32.25%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$569 €506

$314 NOK 2,952

81.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

-8.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$125 NOK 1,176

-29.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$43.59 NOK 410

-7.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$124 NOK 1,165

-15.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$204 NOK 1,922

-40.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

-33.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,039 NOK 9,783

-37.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

-16.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

-20.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

-2.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

10.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

-70.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.68

-4.27%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arendal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Arendal

$1K 38.8% 58.8% $385

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Arendal

$488 18.2% 57.2% $178

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Arendal

$375 14% 40% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Arendal

$366 13.7% 40% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Arendal

$223 8.3% 39.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Arendal

$67 2.5% 10.6% $8

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Arendal

$120 4.5% 166% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,109 in Arendal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays 234% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $66.0 in Arendal. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $488, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇴 Arendal

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

21:45 9:45 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

46,406

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Arendal 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Arendal

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Arendal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens and Arendal differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($1,775 vs $2,679 including rent). Athens is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 234% lower in Arendal. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $1,109 in Arendal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $314 in Arendal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Arendal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,679 in Arendal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Arendal. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Athens and Arendal are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Arendal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.