Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Molde and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,231 in Molde, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Molde
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Molde Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,231

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,231 in Molde versus $1,775 in Athens.

Molde $2,231
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,464 in Molde versus $2,721 in Athens.

Molde $3,464
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,697 in Molde versus $3,666 in Athens.

Molde $4,697
Athens $3,666

Living in Molde is roughly 26% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Molde 65% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 NOK 161

$16.69 €14.84

2.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.2 NOK 905

$67.8 €60.3

41.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.25 NOK 125

$11.14 €9.91

18.94%

Cappuccino

$4.11 NOK 38.70

$4.03 €3.58

1.99%

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

$3.00 NOK 28.21

$2.77 €2.46

8.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 NOK 31.45

$0.55 €0.49

507.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.71 NOK 120

$5.74 €5.10

121.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.27 NOK 106

$5.45 €4.85

106.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 NOK 27.37

$1.82 €1.62

59.89%

White Bread (500g)

$4.17 NOK 39.22

$1.38 €1.23

202.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 NOK 36.87

$2.80 €2.49

40.00%

Eggs

$5.24 NOK 49.35

$4.83 €4.30

8.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.98 NOK 169

$15.05 €13.39

19.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.75 NOK 148

$10.63 €9.45

48.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 NOK 31.29

$2.20 €1.96

50.91%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 NOK 29.20

$1.90 €1.69

63.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NOK 29.16

$1.37 €1.22

126.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 NOK 44.84

$2.10 €1.87

126.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 NOK 23.05

$1.08 €0.96

126.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NOK 22.11

$1.12 €1.00

109.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 NOK 25.66

$1.12 €1.00

143.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.77 NOK 186

$5.48 €4.88

260.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.12 NOK 218

$10.13 €9.01

128.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 39.78

$2.13 €1.89

98.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.68 NOK 72.3

$2.25 €2.00

241.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 NOK 47.24

$1.36 €1.21

269.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.8 NOK 779

$29.89 €26.59

177.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.41 NOK 145

$4.45 €3.96

246.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 NOK 21.82

$2.25 €2.00

3.11%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

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

$28.2K €25.1K

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

$205 €182

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

$21.17 NOK 199

$26.65 €23.71

-20.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.9 NOK 800

$30.38 €27.02

179.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 NOK 542

$54.5 €48.47

5.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$18.48 NOK 174

$10.42 €9.27

77.35%

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

$207 NOK 1,953

$569 €506

-63.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 NOK 1,021

$88.7 €78.9

22.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,272

$105 €93.3

28.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 NOK 1,482

$121 €108

29.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 NOK 11.8K

$741 €659

68.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 NOK 9,199

$655 €582

49.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,854 NOK 17.5K

$1,300 €1,156

42.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 NOK 15.7K

$1,148 €1,021

45.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,256 NOK 40.1K

$1,242 €1,105

242.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

4.48

7.14%

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

Last update for Molde: October 10, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Molde

$977 43.8%

Athens

$655 36.9% 33% $323

Groceries & Markets

Molde

$417 * 18.7%

Athens

$310 17.5% 25.6% $107

Eating Out

Molde

$337 15.1%

Athens

$268 15.1% 20.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Molde

$180 * 8.1%

Athens

$160 9% 11.4% $21

Getting Around

Molde

$118 * 5.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 62.1% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Molde

$106 * 4.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 147% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Molde

$95 4.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 20.3% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,249 in Molde and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Molde pays 243% 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 Molde vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Molde

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

1 h ahead of Molde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,920

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

Molde Athens 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Molde
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

Molde vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Molde. 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 243% higher in Molde, 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: $1,249 in Molde 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 Molde. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,231 per month in Molde versus $1,775 in Athens – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,231 in Molde, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Molde. 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, Molde 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 26% less than in Molde. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.