Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Skien

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,336 in Skien, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Skien

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,336 in Skien.

Athens $1,775
Skien $2,336

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,267 in Skien.

Athens $2,721
Skien $3,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,197 in Skien.

Athens $3,666
Skien $4,197

Living in Athens costs roughly 24% less than in Skien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Skien 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$21.21 NOK 200

-21.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$103 NOK 971

-34.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$15.47 NOK 146

-27.99%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$5.11 NOK 48.11

-21.14%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$4.36 NOK 41.01

-36.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.97 NOK 27.96

-81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$11.89 NOK 112

-51.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$12.33 NOK 116

-55.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.11 NOK 19.84

-13.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.92 NOK 36.90

-64.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$4.57 NOK 42.98

-38.73%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$5.66 NOK 53.3

-14.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.16 NOK 124

14.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$15.17 NOK 143

-29.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$21.79 NOK 205

-15.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.35 NOK 31.49

-34.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.70 NOK 25.42

-29.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.49 NOK 32.86

-60.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$5.95 NOK 56.0

-64.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.24 NOK 21.04

-51.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.78 NOK 26.12

-59.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.04 NOK 28.63

-63.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.48 NOK 23.33

-64.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$19.02 NOK 179

-71.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$15.76 NOK 148

-35.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$3.35 NOK 31.58

-36.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$4.33 NOK 40.76

-48.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.26 NOK 30.64

-58.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$47.91 NOK 451

-37.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$11.13 NOK 105

-60.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.81 NOK 17.02

-43.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$70.8 NOK 667

-76.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.27 NOK 21.39

-0.88%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

-41.00%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

-34.89%

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

$205 €182

$93.9 NOK 884

117.98%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$33.89 NOK 319

-21.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$53.6 NOK 504

-43.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$43.10 NOK 406

26.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$15.29 NOK 144

-31.85%

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

$569 €506

$239 NOK 2,247

138.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

-19.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$63.7 NOK 600

39.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$60.4 NOK 568

-32.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$87.9 NOK 827

19.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$153 NOK 1,442

-20.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,042 NOK 9,811

-28.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$975 NOK 9,183

-32.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,035 NOK 9,746

25.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$939 NOK 8,841

22.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

18.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

9.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

-70.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.37

2.52%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Skien

$975 41.8% 49% $321

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Skien

$470 20.1% 51.3% $159

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Skien

$391 16.7% 45.8% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Skien

$181 7.8% 30.7% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Skien

$164 7% 2.7% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Skien

$74 3.2% 2.2% $1.6

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Skien

$81 3.5% 80.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,042 in Skien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skien pays 241% 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 $103 in Skien for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $470 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇴 Skien

🕒 Local time

22:25 10:25 PM

21:25 9:25 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

56,769

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Skien 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Skien

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 Skien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Skien. 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 241% lower in Skien. 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 $1,042 in Skien. 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 $103 in Skien. 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 $2,336 in Skien – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,336 in Skien, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Skien. 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 Skien 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 32% less than in Skien. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.