Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sandvika

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,607 in Sandvika, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Sandvika
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Sandvika Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Sandvika

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sandvika

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,607 in Sandvika.

Athens $1,775
Sandvika $2,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $4,031 in Sandvika.

Athens $2,721
Sandvika $4,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $5,454 in Sandvika.

Athens $3,666
Sandvika $5,454

Living in Athens costs roughly 32% less than in Sandvika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Sandvika 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.56 NOK 156

0.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$98.4 NOK 927

-31.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$21.61 NOK 203

-48.45%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.06 NOK 38.27

-0.74%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.91 NOK 27.41

-4.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.35 NOK 22.16

-76.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$8.48 NOK 79.9

-32.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$10.69 NOK 101

-49.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.42 NOK 22.83

-24.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.44 NOK 32.38

-59.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.91 NOK 36.84

-28.39%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.85 NOK 45.70

-0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.19 NOK 124

14.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$26.81 NOK 252

-60.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$24.09 NOK 227

-23.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.40 NOK 32.03

-35.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.56 NOK 24.13

-25.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.44 NOK 32.34

-60.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.81 NOK 45.31

-56.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.63 NOK 24.77

-58.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.19 NOK 30.03

-64.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.30 NOK 21.66

-51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.54 NOK 14.53

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$16.05 NOK 151

-65.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$18.41 NOK 173

-44.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$3.86 NOK 36.36

-44.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$5.23 NOK 49.19

-56.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$4.04 NOK 38.06

-66.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$83.6 NOK 786

-64.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$8.15 NOK 76.8

-45.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.58 NOK 14.89

-35.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$55.2 NOK 520

-69.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.34 NOK 22.07

-3.85%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$43.1K NOK 405.7K

-34.96%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$42.5K NOK 399.9K

-33.55%

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

$205 €182

$269 NOK 2,532

-23.93%

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

$26.65 €23.70

$30.84 NOK 290

-13.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$64.6 NOK 609

-53.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.46

$64.2 NOK 605

-15.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$37.07 NOK 349

-30.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$20.56 NOK 194

-49.32%

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

$569 €506

$307 NOK 2,891

85.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$12.7K NOK 120.0K

-1.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$143 NOK 1,348

-38.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$63.9 NOK 601

-36.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$131 NOK 1,232

-19.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$207 NOK 1,944

-41.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,216 NOK 11.4K

-39.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$927 NOK 8,730

-29.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,953 NOK 18.4K

-33.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,693 NOK 15.9K

-32.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$8,428 NOK 79.3K

-52.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$4,390 NOK 41.3K

-21.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$5,488 NOK 51.7K

-77.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.03

-10.93%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sandvika: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Sandvika

$927 35.6% 41.7% $273

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Sandvika

$518 19.9% 67% $208

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Sandvika

$331 12.7% 23.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Sandvika

$364 14% 39.3% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Sandvika

$245 9.4% 53.2% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sandvika

$105 4% 39.9% $30

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sandvika

$116 4.4% 158% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,216 in Sandvika. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandvika pays 342% 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 $98.0 in Sandvika for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $518 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇴 Sandvika

🕒 Local time

21:53 9:53 PM

20:53 8:53 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

129,572

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

From you

Athens
Sandvika

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 Sandvika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Sandvika. 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 342% lower in Sandvika. 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 $1,216 in Sandvika. 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 $98.0 in Sandvika. 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 $2,607 in Sandvika – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,607 in Sandvika, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Sandvika. 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 Sandvika 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 47% less than in Sandvika. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.