Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sandnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,639 in Sandnes, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Sandnes
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Sandnes Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Sandnes

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sandnes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,639 in Sandnes.

Athens $1,775
Sandnes $2,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $4,091 in Sandnes.

Athens $2,721
Sandnes $4,091

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $5,543 in Sandnes.

Athens $3,666
Sandnes $5,543

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Sandnes 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$25.33 NOK 238

-34.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$94.9 NOK 893

-28.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$15.41 NOK 145

-27.71%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$5.58 NOK 52.6

-27.78%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.37 NOK 31.70

-17.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.95 NOK 27.75

-81.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$13.54 NOK 128

-57.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$11.92 NOK 112

-54.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.33 NOK 21.91

-21.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.34 NOK 31.43

-58.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.47 NOK 23.23

13.36%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.92 NOK 46.31

-1.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.26 NOK 125

13.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$15.84 NOK 149

-32.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$31.72 NOK 299

-41.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.45 NOK 32.44

-36.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.82 NOK 26.52

-32.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.09 NOK 29.12

-55.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.72 NOK 44.41

-55.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.54 NOK 23.89

-57.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.36 NOK 22.17

-52.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.82 NOK 26.54

-60.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.25 NOK 21.17

-60.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$16.35 NOK 154

-66.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$16.37 NOK 154

-38.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$3.23 NOK 30.37

-34.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$4.13 NOK 38.89

-45.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$4.65 NOK 43.81

-70.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$82.1 NOK 773

-63.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$6.00 NOK 56.5

-25.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.68 NOK 15.82

-39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$47.92 NOK 451

-64.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.21 NOK 20.81

1.81%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$43.3K NOK 407.2K

-35.20%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.6K NOK 363.0K

-26.79%

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

$205 €182

$245 NOK 2,309

-16.60%

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

$26.65 €23.70

$34.40 NOK 324

-22.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$83.6 NOK 787

-63.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.46

$45.45 NOK 428

19.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$52.2 NOK 491

-50.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$18.81 NOK 177

-44.60%

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

$569 €506

$284 NOK 2,675

100.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$9,372 NOK 88.2K

34.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$123 NOK 1,159

-28.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$59.5 NOK 560

-31.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$119 NOK 1,121

-11.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$186 NOK 1,751

-34.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,304 NOK 12.3K

-43.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$947 NOK 8,916

-30.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,964 NOK 18.5K

-33.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,754 NOK 16.5K

-34.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$6,896 NOK 64.9K

-41.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$4,065 NOK 38.3K

-14.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,612 NOK 34.0K

-65.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.22

-14.18%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sandnes: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Sandnes

$947 35.9% 44.7% $293

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Sandnes

$478 18.1% 54% $168

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Sandnes

$433 16.4% 61.4% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Sandnes

$363 13.8% 38.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Sandnes

$220 8.3% 37.3% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sandnes

$83 3.2% 10.3% $7.7

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sandnes

$115 4.4% 157% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,304 in Sandnes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandnes pays 191% 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 $95.0 in Sandnes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $478 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇴 Sandnes

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

83,958

💱 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 Sandnes 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Sandnes

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 Sandnes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Sandnes. 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 191% lower in Sandnes. 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 $1,304 in Sandnes. 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 $68.0 versus $95.0 in Sandnes. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $2,639 in Sandnes – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,639 in Sandnes, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Sandnes. 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 Sandnes 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 49% less than in Sandnes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.