Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Hamar

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,380 in Hamar, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,775
/mo nomad
Hamar
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,380
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Hamar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,380 in Hamar.

  • Athens $1,775
  • Hamar $2,380

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,750 in Hamar.

  • Athens $2,721
  • Hamar $3,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $5,120 in Hamar.

  • Athens $3,666
  • Hamar $5,120

Living in Athens costs roughly 25% less than in Hamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Hamar 76% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Hamar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.69 €14.84
$21.18 NOK 199
-21.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.8 €60.3
$125 NOK 1,180
-45.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.14 €9.91
$15.83 NOK 149
-29.63%
Cappuccino
$4.03 €3.58
$5.76 NOK 54.2
-30.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 €2.46
$4.21 NOK 39.63
-34.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 €0.49
$3.28 NOK 30.85
-83.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.74 €5.10
$11.49 NOK 108
-50.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.45 €4.85
$8.07 NOK 76.0
-32.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Hamar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.62
$2.50 NOK 23.53
-27.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 €1.23
$2.93 NOK 27.57
-52.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.80 €2.49
$2.06 NOK 19.36
35.92%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.30
$5.76 NOK 54.3
-16.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.05 €13.39
$11.05 NOK 104
36.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.63 €9.45
$12.20 NOK 115
-12.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.43 €16.39
$31.42 NOK 296
-41.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.20 €1.96
$3.21 NOK 30.26
-31.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 €1.69
$2.57 NOK 24.17
-26.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.37 €1.22
$3.05 NOK 28.74
-55.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$5.89 NOK 55.5
-64.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 €0.96
$2.48 NOK 23.34
-56.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 €1.00
$2.44 NOK 22.95
-54.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 €1.00
$2.12 NOK 19.97
-47.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$1.99 NOK 18.74
-55.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.48 €4.88
$18.94 NOK 178
-71.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.13 €9.01
$16.40 NOK 154
-38.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 €1.89
$3.38 NOK 31.78
-36.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 €2.00
$4.18 NOK 39.37
-46.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Hamar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.36 €1.21
$4.66 NOK 43.87
-70.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.89 €26.59
$67.5 NOK 635
-55.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.45 €3.96
$11.92 NOK 112
-62.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 €0.90
$1.78 NOK 16.76
-42.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.92 €15.05
$69.5 NOK 654
-75.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.25 €2.00
$2.37 NOK 22.32
-5.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €24.9K
$47.8K NOK 449.5K
-41.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K €25.1K
$43.6K NOK 410.2K
-35.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Hamar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 €182
$223 NOK 2,104
-8.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.65 €23.71
$33.07 NOK 311
-19.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.38 €27.02
$54.1 NOK 509
-43.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Hamar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.5 €48.47
$58.2 NOK 548
-6.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.88 €23.02
$29.40 NOK 277
-11.97%
Cinema Ticket
$10.42 €9.27
$19.79 NOK 186
-47.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Hamar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$569 €506
$207 NOK 1,948
175.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.6K €11.2K
$15.8K NOK 148.3K
-20.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Hamar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.7 €78.9
$102 NOK 959
-12.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.46 €35.99
$59.5 NOK 560
-32.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.3
$131 NOK 1,230
-19.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$104 NOK 977
16.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Hamar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$741 €659
$1,227 NOK 11.6K
-39.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$655 €582
$847 NOK 7,973
-22.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,300 €1,156
$1,578 NOK 14.9K
-17.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,148 €1,021
$1,489 NOK 14.0K
-22.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,014 €3,570
$4,302 NOK 40.5K
-6.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,460 €3,078
$3,421 NOK 32.2K
1.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Hamar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,242 €1,105
$4,269 NOK 40.2K
-70.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
4.94
-9.31%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hamar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$655
Hamar
$847 29.4% $192
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$310
Hamar
$450 44.9% $139
Eating Out
Athens
$268
Hamar
$390 45.3% $121
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$262
Hamar
$311 18.7% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$160
Hamar
$178 11.4% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$75
Hamar
$98 29.8% $22
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Hamar
$107 138% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,227 in Hamar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamar pays 244% 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 $125 in Hamar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $450 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇳🇴 Hamar
🕒 Local time
18:00 6:00 PM
17:00 5:00 PM
1 h behind Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
33,059
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Hamar 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Athens
  • Hamar

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 Hamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Hamar?
Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Hamar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Hamar?
On paper, salaries run 244% lower in Hamar. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athens compared to Hamar?
Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $1,227 in Hamar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Hamar?
Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $125 in Hamar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Athens compared to Hamar?
All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $2,380 in Hamar – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Athens or in Hamar?
At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,380 in Hamar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Hamar. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Athens or Hamar?
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.
How safe is Athens compared to Hamar?
Safety-wise, Athens and Hamar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Hamar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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