Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,844 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bergen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $2,844 in Bergen.

Athens $1,806
Bergen $2,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $4,282 in Bergen.

Athens $2,731
Bergen $4,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $5,719 in Bergen.

Athens $3,656
Bergen $5,719

Living in Athens costs roughly 37% less than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Bergen 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$22.98 NOK 219

-27.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$135 NOK 1,292

-51.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$15.52 NOK 148

-28.74%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$5.42 NOK 51.8

-23.62%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$5.10 NOK 48.71

-45.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$4.47 NOK 42.65

-87.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$12.57 NOK 120

-55.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$10.41 NOK 99.4

-47.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.15 NOK 20.57

-8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.78 NOK 36.13

-62.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$3.51 NOK 33.54

-19.37%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$6.41 NOK 61.3

-21.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$14.32 NOK 137

7.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$17.21 NOK 164

-39.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$36.16 NOK 345

-47.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$4.12 NOK 39.38

-47.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.72 NOK 25.95

-29.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.61 NOK 34.44

-61.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$5.39 NOK 51.4

-59.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.52 NOK 24.02

-56.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$3.35 NOK 31.97

-66.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.86 NOK 27.34

-61.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.78 NOK 17.03

-53.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$17.10 NOK 163

-67.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$17.97 NOK 172

-43.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$3.59 NOK 34.31

-39.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$4.21 NOK 40.20

-41.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$5.15 NOK 49.21

-73.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$86.4 NOK 825

-64.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$12.39 NOK 118

-64.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.84 NOK 17.61

-43.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$70.5 NOK 674

-75.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.35 NOK 22.42

-1.70%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$48.6K NOK 463.7K

-42.36%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$43.3K NOK 413.9K

-35.36%

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

$210 €187

$275 NOK 2,623

-23.62%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$32.93 NOK 314

-18.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$82.9 NOK 791

-63.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$45.61 NOK 436

19.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$41.77 NOK 399

-37.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$18.87 NOK 180

-42.87%

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

$575 €513

$238 NOK 2,272

141.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$12.0K NOK 114.9K

9.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$107 NOK 1,022

-12.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$54.6 NOK 522

-25.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$118 NOK 1,128

-11.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$162 NOK 1,545

-20.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,414 NOK 13.5K

-46.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$1,083 NOK 10.3K

-39.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$2,348 NOK 22.4K

-44.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,696 NOK 16.2K

-31.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$7,822 NOK 74.7K

-48.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$4,769 NOK 45.5K

-27.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$4,527 NOK 43.2K

-72.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.27

-14.99%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Bergen

$1.1K 38.3% 66.1% $431

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Bergen

$524 18.6% 66.6% $210

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Bergen

$417 14.8% 55.3% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Bergen

$390 13.8% 46.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Bergen

$199 7% 20.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Bergen

$83 3% 9.4% $7.2

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Bergen

$129 4.6% 180% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,414 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 264% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $135 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $524 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

292,482

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Bergen 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Bergen

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 Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Bergen. 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 264% lower in Bergen. 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: $756 in Athens versus $1,414 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $135 in Bergen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $2,844 in Bergen – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,844 in Bergen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Bergen. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Bergen 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 58% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.