Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandal and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,676 in Mandal, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Mandal
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Mandal Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Mandal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,676

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mandal 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 Mandal and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,676 in Mandal versus $1,775 in Athens.

Mandal $2,676
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,083 in Mandal versus $2,721 in Athens.

Mandal $4,083
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,489 in Mandal versus $3,666 in Athens.

Mandal $5,489
Athens $3,666

Living in Mandal is roughly 51% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mandal 98% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.13 NOK 237

$16.69 €14.84

50.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.9 NOK 902

$67.8 €60.3

41.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.40 NOK 145

$11.14 €9.91

38.24%

Cappuccino

$6.19 NOK 58.3

$4.03 €3.58

53.60%

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

$5.22 NOK 49.16

$2.77 €2.46

88.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 40.79

$0.55 €0.49

687.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.54 NOK 127

$5.74 €5.10

135.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.24 NOK 115

$5.45 €4.85

124.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 NOK 20.96

$1.82 €1.62

22.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 NOK 32.48

$1.38 €1.23

150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.85 NOK 36.26

$2.80 €2.49

37.50%

Eggs

$3.08 NOK 28.98

$4.83 €4.30

-36.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.34 NOK 126

$15.05 €13.39

-11.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.74 NOK 158

$10.63 €9.45

57.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$35.07 NOK 330

$18.43 €16.39

90.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 NOK 32.34

$2.20 €1.96

56.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 NOK 25.94

$1.90 €1.69

45.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 NOK 32.64

$1.37 €1.22

153.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 NOK 46.52

$2.10 €1.87

135.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 NOK 24.06

$1.08 €0.96

137.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 NOK 28.07

$1.12 €1.00

166.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 NOK 14.93

$1.12 €1.00

41.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 NOK 21.53

$0.88 €0.79

160.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.56 NOK 165

$5.48 €4.88

220.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.44 NOK 174

$10.13 €9.01

82.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 NOK 30.14

$2.13 €1.89

50.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 NOK 27.52

$2.25 €2.00

29.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 NOK 49.04

$1.36 €1.21

283.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.3 NOK 878

$29.89 €26.59

212.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.61 NOK 52.8

$4.45 €3.96

26.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 NOK 11.10

$1.02 €0.90

15.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$104 NOK 977

$16.92 €15.05

513.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 NOK 20.40

$2.25 €2.00

-3.56%

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

$48.1K NOK 452.9K

$28.0K €24.9K

71.62%

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

$41.5K NOK 390.9K

$28.2K €25.1K

47.11%

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

$241 NOK 2,269

$205 €182

17.80%

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

$34.97 NOK 329

$26.65 €23.71

31.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.0 NOK 781

$30.38 €27.02

173.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.37 NOK 465

$54.5 €48.47

-9.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.13 NOK 321

$25.88 €23.02

31.88%

Cinema Ticket

$21.90 NOK 206

$10.42 €9.27

110.17%

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

$319 NOK 2,998

$569 €506

-44.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K NOK 131.9K

$12.6K €11.2K

11.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$126 NOK 1,189

$88.7 €78.9

42.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.7 NOK 571

$40.46 €35.99

49.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$150 NOK 1,409

$105 €93.3

42.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$203 NOK 1,910

$121 €108

67.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 NOK 11.3K

$741 €659

61.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 NOK 8,584

$655 €582

39.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,038 NOK 19.2K

$1,300 €1,156

56.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 NOK 14.7K

$1,148 €1,021

36.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,532 NOK 52.1K

$4,014 €3,570

37.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,103 NOK 38.6K

$3,460 €3,078

18.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,367 NOK 41.1K

$1,242 €1,105

251.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.48

17.63%

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

Last update for Mandal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mandal

$912 34.1%

Athens

$655 36.9% 28.2% $257

Groceries & Markets

Mandal

$492 18.4%

Athens

$310 17.5% 36.9% $181

Eating Out

Mandal

$452 16.9%

Athens

$268 15.1% 40.7% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandal

$359 13.4%

Athens

$262 14.7% 27.1% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Mandal

$243 9.1%

Athens

$160 9% 34.1% $83

Getting Around

Mandal

$126 4.7%

Athens

$45 2.5% 64.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Mandal

$93 3.5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 19.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,198 in Mandal and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mandal pays 252% 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: $96.0 in Mandal vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $492 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Mandal

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

1 h ahead of Mandal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,477

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

Mandal Athens 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mandal
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

Mandal vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Mandal. 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 252% higher in Mandal, 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: $1,198 in Mandal 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 $96.0 in Mandal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,676 per month in Mandal versus $1,775 in Athens – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,676 in Mandal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Mandal. 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, Mandal 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 51% less than in Mandal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.