Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Karmøy

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $2,641 in Karmøy, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Athens, Greece
Karmøy, Norway
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,759
/mo nomad
Karmøy
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,641
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Karmøy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $2,641 in Karmøy.

  • Athens $1,759
  • Karmøy $2,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $4,032 in Karmøy.

  • Athens $2,696
  • Karmøy $4,032

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $5,423 in Karmøy.

  • Athens $3,632
  • Karmøy $5,423

Living in Athens costs roughly 33% less than in Karmøy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Karmøy 94% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Karmøy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.05 €15.31
$21.23 NOK 197
-19.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 €59.1
$122 NOK 1,135
-46.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.96 €9.84
$16.23 NOK 151
-32.47%
Cappuccino
$4.10 €3.69
$6.16 NOK 57.3
-33.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 €2.54
$3.80 NOK 35.34
-25.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 €0.53
$2.91 NOK 27.02
-79.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.62 €5.05
$11.67 NOK 108
-51.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.67 €5.09
$11.22 NOK 104
-49.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Karmøy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 €1.70
$2.32 NOK 21.55
-18.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 €1.31
$3.87 NOK 35.94
-62.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 €2.43
$3.37 NOK 31.29
-19.58%
Eggs
$5.04 €4.53
$4.39 NOK 40.75
14.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.08 €13.54
$12.31 NOK 114
22.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.28 €9.23
$15.45 NOK 144
-33.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.40 €17.42
$29.85 NOK 277
-35.01%
Apples (1kg)
$2.12 €1.91
$3.29 NOK 30.53
-35.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 €1.71
$2.37 NOK 22.03
-19.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.41 €1.26
$3.05 NOK 28.29
-53.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 €1.91
$4.55 NOK 42.32
-53.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 €0.94
$2.51 NOK 23.35
-58.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 €1.02
$3.00 NOK 27.91
-62.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 €1.01
$3.44 NOK 31.92
-67.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 €0.73
$2.49 NOK 23.13
-67.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.52 €4.96
$20.07 NOK 186
-72.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.99 €8.97
$17.00 NOK 158
-41.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.83
$3.89 NOK 36.11
-47.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 €2.05
$4.95 NOK 45.99
-53.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Karmøy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.31 €1.18
$4.66 NOK 43.32
-71.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.67 €27.55
$84.3 NOK 783
-63.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.37 €3.93
$13.42 NOK 125
-67.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 €0.92
$1.84 NOK 17.09
-44.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.05 €15.32
$63.7 NOK 592
-73.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.34 €2.10
$2.52 NOK 23.41
-7.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.3K €25.4K
$50.9K NOK 472.5K
-44.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K €24.0K
$41.1K NOK 381.6K
-34.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Karmøy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$200 €180
$243 NOK 2,259
-17.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.17 €22.61
$30.54 NOK 284
-17.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.65 €26.64
$46.76 NOK 434
-36.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Karmøy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.4 €45.31
$49.24 NOK 457
2.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.94 €23.30
$41.02 NOK 381
-36.76%
Cinema Ticket
$10.52 €9.45
$16.70 NOK 155
-37.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Karmøy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$576 €518
$259 NOK 2,405
122.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K €11.6K
$12.2K NOK 113.3K
6.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Karmøy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.7 €80.6
$96.0 NOK 892
-6.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.57 €35.55
$49.63 NOK 461
-20.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €94.7
$111 NOK 1,031
-4.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$154 NOK 1,429
-19.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Karmøy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$740 €665
$1,262 NOK 11.7K
-41.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$643 €577
$1,044 NOK 9,703
-38.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,305 €1,172
$2,068 NOK 19.2K
-36.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,121 €1,007
$1,688 NOK 15.7K
-33.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,011 €3,603
$6,242 NOK 58.0K
-35.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,284 €2,950
$4,136 NOK 38.4K
-20.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Karmøy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,224 €1,099
$4,114 NOK 38.2K
-70.26%
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 25, 2026

Last update for Karmøy: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$643
Karmøy
$1K 62.5% $402
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$312
Karmøy
$483 54.7% $171
Eating Out
Athens
$272
Karmøy
$400 47.3% $129
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$255
Karmøy
$321 25.8% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$161
Karmøy
$185 14.4% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$71
Karmøy
$83 15.6% $11
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Karmøy
$126 176% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $1,262 in Karmøy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karmøy pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $122 in Karmøy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $483 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇳🇴 Karmøy
🕒 Local time
18:37 6:37 PM
17:37 5:37 PM
1 h behind Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
43,404
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

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

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 Karmøy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Karmøy?
Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Karmøy. 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 Karmøy?
On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Athens. 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 Karmøy?
Rent for a central apartment: $740 in Athens versus $1,262 in Karmøy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Karmøy?
Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66 versus $122 in Karmøy. 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 Karmøy?
All in, you’ll spend $1,759 per month in Athens versus $2,641 in Karmøy – a 50% 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 Karmøy?
At $1,759 in Athens versus $2,641 in Karmøy, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Karmøy. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Athens or Karmøy?
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.
How safe is Athens compared to Karmøy?
Safety-wise, Athens and Karmøy 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 33% less than in Karmøy. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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