Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyearbyen and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,733 in Longyearbyen, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
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Longyearbyen Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,733

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Longyearbyen and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Longyearbyen and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,733 in Longyearbyen versus $1,775 in Athens.

Longyearbyen $2,733
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,180 in Longyearbyen versus $2,721 in Athens.

Longyearbyen $4,180
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,627 in Longyearbyen versus $3,666 in Athens.

Longyearbyen $5,627
Athens $3,666

Living in Longyearbyen is roughly 54% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Longyearbyen 102% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 NOK 189

$16.69 €14.84

20.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 996

$67.8 €60.3

56.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.00 NOK 169

$11.14 €9.91

61.58%

Cappuccino

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$4.03 €3.58

69.98%

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

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$2.77 €2.46

120.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 NOK 52.5

$0.55 €0.49

914.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.43 NOK 70.0

$5.74 €5.10

29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 NOK 84.3

$5.45 €4.85

64.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 NOK 22.57

$1.82 €1.62

31.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 NOK 34.95

$1.38 €1.23

168.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 NOK 40.78

$2.80 €2.49

54.64%

Eggs

$4.97 NOK 46.82

$4.83 €4.30

2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 NOK 134

$15.05 €13.39

-5.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.30 NOK 191

$10.63 €9.45

90.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.52 NOK 297

$18.43 €16.39

71.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 NOK 60.5

$2.20 €1.96

191.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.03

$1.90 €1.69

34.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$1.37 €1.22

400.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.66 NOK 62.7

$2.10 €1.87

217.14%

Potato (1kg)

$5.49 NOK 51.7

$1.08 €0.96

408.33%

Onion (1kg)

$4.53 NOK 42.66

$1.12 €1.00

304.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.51 NOK 42.50

$1.12 €1.00

302.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 NOK 33.23

$0.88 €0.79

301.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.34 NOK 163

$5.48 €4.88

216.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.45 NOK 136

$10.13 €9.01

42.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 NOK 33.31

$2.13 €1.89

66.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 NOK 39.93

$2.25 €2.00

88.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.27 NOK 49.65

$1.36 €1.21

287.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 NOK 811

$29.89 €26.59

188.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 NOK 85.3

$4.45 €3.96

103.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.93

$1.02 €0.90

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.7 NOK 694

$16.92 €15.05

335.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 NOK 20.05

$2.25 €2.00

-5.33%

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

$50.3K NOK 473.1K

$28.0K €24.9K

79.29%

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

$41.3K NOK 388.9K

$28.2K €25.1K

46.35%

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

$242 NOK 2,274

$205 €182

18.06%

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

$32.99 NOK 311

$26.65 €23.71

23.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$30.38 €27.02

78.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 NOK 475

$54.5 €48.47

-7.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.19 NOK 341

$25.88 €23.02

39.84%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 NOK 140

$10.42 €9.27

42.51%

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

$200 NOK 1,887

$569 €506

-64.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K NOK 133.8K

$12.6K €11.2K

12.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 981

$88.7 €78.9

17.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 NOK 530

$40.46 €35.99

39.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,179

$105 €93.3

19.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NOK 1,447

$121 €108

26.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 NOK 10.4K

$741 €659

48.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 NOK 9,569

$655 €582

55.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 NOK 18.7K

$1,300 €1,156

52.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

$1,148 €1,021

47.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,197 NOK 58.3K

$4,014 €3,570

54.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,017 NOK 37.8K

$3,460 €3,078

16.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,931 NOK 27.6K

$1,242 €1,105

135.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

4.48

10.27%

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

Last update for Longyearbyen: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Longyearbyen

$1K 37.2%

Athens

$655 36.9% 35.6% $362

Groceries & Markets

Longyearbyen

$586 21.5%

Athens

$310 17.5% 47.1% $276

Eating Out

Longyearbyen

$398 14.6%

Athens

$268 15.1% 32.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyearbyen

$329 12%

Athens

$262 14.7% 20.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Longyearbyen

$198 7.2%

Athens

$160 9% 19.1% $38

Getting Around

Longyearbyen

$125 4.6%

Athens

$45 2.5% 64.2% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Longyearbyen

$80 2.9%

Athens

$75 4.2% 6% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,104 in Longyearbyen and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Longyearbyen pays 136% 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: $106 in Longyearbyen vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $586 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

1 h ahead of Longyearbyen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,400

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Longyearbyen Athens 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Longyearbyen
Athens

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

Longyearbyen vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Longyearbyen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 136% higher in Longyearbyen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,104 in Longyearbyen versus $741 in Athens. 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 $106 in Longyearbyen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,733 per month in Longyearbyen versus $1,775 in Athens – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,733 in Longyearbyen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Longyearbyen. 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, Longyearbyen and Athens 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 54% less than in Longyearbyen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.