Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Baerum

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $3,124 in Baerum, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
151

Cost of Living Index in Baerum
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Baerum Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Baerum

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,124

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Baerum

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 Baerum actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $3,124 in Baerum.

Athens $1,775
Baerum $3,124

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $4,846 in Baerum.

Athens $2,721
Baerum $4,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $6,568 in Baerum.

Athens $3,666
Baerum $6,568

Living in Athens costs roughly 43% less than in Baerum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Baerum 131% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$21.23 NOK 200

-21.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$127 NOK 1,192

-46.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$15.70 NOK 148

-29.04%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$6.06 NOK 57.1

-33.50%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$4.34 NOK 40.82

-36.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$3.44 NOK 32.42

-84.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$11.46 NOK 108

-49.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$12.59 NOK 119

-56.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.42 NOK 22.74

-24.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.62 NOK 34.04

-61.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$4.60 NOK 43.27

-39.13%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$5.59 NOK 52.7

-13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.29 NOK 96.9

46.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$15.50 NOK 146

-31.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$31.54 NOK 297

-41.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.59 NOK 24.37

-15.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.03 NOK 19.15

-6.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.14 NOK 20.12

-35.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.07 NOK 38.35

-48.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.65 NOK 15.50

-34.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.81 NOK 26.49

-60.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.02 NOK 28.44

-62.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.43 NOK 22.87

-63.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$19.05 NOK 179

-71.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$16.33 NOK 154

-37.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$3.41 NOK 32.06

-37.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$4.13 NOK 38.85

-45.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$4.33 NOK 40.76

-68.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$11.97 NOK 113

-62.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.88 NOK 17.72

-45.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$69.2 NOK 651

-75.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.21 NOK 20.79

1.81%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$28.3K NOK 266.8K

-1.09%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$24.7K NOK 232.1K

14.49%

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

$205 €182

$335 NOK 3,149

-38.84%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$33.08 NOK 311

-19.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$52.5 NOK 495

-42.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$51.4 NOK 484

6.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$15.97 NOK 150

-34.75%

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

$569 €506

$233 NOK 2,194

144.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$15.4K NOK 144.8K

-18.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$98.5 NOK 927

-9.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$58.6 NOK 551

-30.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$133 NOK 1,248

-20.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$154 NOK 1,450

-21.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,742 NOK 16.4K

-57.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,511 NOK 14.2K

-56.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$3,459 NOK 32.6K

-62.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$2,913 NOK 27.4K

-60.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$10.8K NOK 101.5K

-62.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$9,916 NOK 93.3K

-65.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$5,319 NOK 50.1K

-76.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.6

-2.61%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Baerum: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Baerum

$1.5K 48.4% 131% $856

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Baerum

$468 15% 50.7% $157

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Baerum

$403 12.9% 50.4% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Baerum

$420 13.5% 60.6% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Baerum

$200 6.4% 24.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Baerum

$83 2.7% 10.6% $8

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Baerum

$39 * 1.2% 13.8% $6.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,742 in Baerum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baerum pays 328% 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 $127 in Baerum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $468 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇴 Baerum

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

20:44 8:44 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

131,136

💱 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 Baerum 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Baerum

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 Baerum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in Baerum. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 328% lower in Baerum. 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 $1,742 in Baerum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $233 in Baerum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $127 in Baerum. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $3,124 in Baerum, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Baerum. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Baerum 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 76% less than in Baerum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.