Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sarpsborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $2,841 in Sarpsborg, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
135

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
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Sarpsborg Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sarpsborg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $2,841 in Sarpsborg.

Athens $1,771
Sarpsborg $2,841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $4,154 in Sarpsborg.

Athens $2,736
Sarpsborg $4,154

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $5,467 in Sarpsborg.

Athens $3,701
Sarpsborg $5,467

Living in Athens costs roughly 38% less than in Sarpsborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Sarpsborg 110% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$40.33 NOK 380

-58.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$99.6 NOK 938

-31.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$19.43 NOK 183

-41.17%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$5.72 NOK 53.8

-29.02%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$2.78 NOK 26.16

-1.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$2.60 NOK 24.48

-79.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$6.25 NOK 58.8

-8.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$8.41 NOK 79.1

-32.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.80 NOK 26.36

-33.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.33 NOK 31.37

-56.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$4.13 NOK 38.86

-31.72%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$4.28 NOK 40.27

13.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$12.60 NOK 119

21.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$15.89 NOK 150

-34.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$36.18 NOK 341

-47.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$3.76 NOK 35.39

-40.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.83 NOK 26.60

-32.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$3.88 NOK 36.55

-63.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$5.00 NOK 47.07

-59.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.98 NOK 28.05

-64.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$3.32 NOK 31.28

-64.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.60 NOK 24.45

-58.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$2.61 NOK 24.58

-67.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$17.94 NOK 169

-69.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$17.77 NOK 167

-42.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$3.30 NOK 31.02

-35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$4.59 NOK 43.22

-50.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.70 NOK 25.40

-49.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$75.1 NOK 707

-60.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$12.17 NOK 115

-63.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.92 NOK 18.10

-47.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$62.9 NOK 592

-73.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.23 NOK 21.00

6.73%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$54.3K NOK 511.0K

-47.68%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$43.0K NOK 405.0K

-36.74%

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

$203 €181

$299 NOK 2,815

-31.97%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$31.27 NOK 294

-14.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$54.1 NOK 509

-44.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$50.1 NOK 472

7.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$40.34 NOK 380

-34.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$19.99 NOK 188

-47.02%

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

$566 €504

$243 NOK 2,286

133.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$13.1K NOK 123.0K

-1.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$114 NOK 1,073

-21.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$62.2 NOK 586

-34.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$115 NOK 1,086

-10.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$178 NOK 1,679

-30.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$1,232 NOK 11.6K

-40.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$1,013 NOK 9,537

-36.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$1,563 NOK 14.7K

-15.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,370 NOK 12.9K

-14.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$5,847 NOK 55.0K

-31.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$4,175 NOK 39.3K

-16.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$2,626 NOK 24.7K

-52.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.18

-13.51%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sarpsborg: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Sarpsborg

$1K 35.7% 56.5% $366

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Sarpsborg

$516 18.1% 65% $203

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Sarpsborg

$519 18.3% 91.8% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Sarpsborg

$384 13.5% 47.6% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Sarpsborg

$211 7.4% 31.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sarpsborg

$90 3.2% 20.3% $15

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sarpsborg

$108 3.8% 142% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $1,232 in Sarpsborg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarpsborg pays 112% 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 $100 in Sarpsborg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $516 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

59,906

💱 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 21, 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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Highest

Between locations

Athens Sarpsborg 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Sarpsborg

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 Sarpsborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Sarpsborg. 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 112% lower in Sarpsborg. 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: $729 in Athens versus $1,232 in Sarpsborg. 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 $100 in Sarpsborg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $2,841 in Sarpsborg – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $2,841 in Sarpsborg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Sarpsborg. 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 $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Sarpsborg 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 60% less than in Sarpsborg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.