Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $3,443 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,443

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,443 in Oslo versus $1,806 in Athens.

Oslo $3,443
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,981 in Oslo versus $2,731 in Athens.

Oslo $4,981
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,519 in Oslo versus $3,656 in Athens.

Oslo $6,519
Athens $3,656

Living in Oslo is roughly 91% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 157% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.80 NOK 199

$16.66 €14.87

24.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 NOK 1,194

$66.2 €59.1

88.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.81 NOK 151

$11.06 €9.87

42.95%

Cappuccino

$6.03 NOK 57.6

$4.14 €3.69

45.65%

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

$4.41 NOK 42.10

$2.80 €2.50

57.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NOK 31.33

$0.57 €0.51

475.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.75 NOK 112

$5.64 €5.03

108.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.73 NOK 122

$5.46 €4.87

133.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 23.53

$1.96 €1.75

25.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 NOK 40.08

$1.41 €1.26

197.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.62 NOK 44.16

$2.83 €2.53

63.25%

Eggs

$5.99 NOK 57.2

$5.04 €4.50

18.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.83 NOK 142

$15.35 €13.70

-3.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.56 NOK 149

$10.34 €9.23

50.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.16 NOK 298

$18.97 €16.93

64.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 32.05

$2.17 €1.93

54.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 NOK 24.62

$1.91 €1.70

35.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 NOK 33.63

$1.38 €1.23

155.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 NOK 54.9

$2.20 €1.96

160.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 25.46

$1.10 €0.98

142.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 NOK 27.08

$1.13 €1.00

151.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.15 NOK 30.05

$1.10 €0.99

186.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 NOK 23.66

$0.83 €0.74

198.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.09 NOK 182

$5.60 €4.99

240.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.58 NOK 158

$10.19 €9.09

62.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 32.01

$2.18 €1.95

53.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 41.31

$2.45 €2.19

76.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.84 NOK 46.25

$1.38 €1.23

250.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.6 NOK 789

$30.87 €27.55

167.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.70 NOK 112

$4.37 €3.90

167.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NOK 17.68

$1.04 €0.93

77.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.0 NOK 659

$17.11 €15.27

303.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 22.23

$2.31 €2.07

0.87%

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

$47.4K NOK 453.0K

$28.0K €25.0K

69.49%

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

$43.5K NOK 415.8K

$28.0K €25.0K

55.40%

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

$415 NOK 3,967

$210 €187

98.03%

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

$33.37 NOK 319

$26.70 €23.83

24.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 NOK 526

$30.13 €26.89

82.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.7 NOK 561

$54.6 €48.72

7.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.61 NOK 273

$26.03 €23.23

9.91%

Cinema Ticket

$19.45 NOK 186

$10.78 €9.62

80.43%

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

$233 NOK 2,229

$575 €513

-59.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K NOK 147.2K

$13.1K €11.7K

17.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 962

$93.2 €83.1

8.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 NOK 560

$40.68 €36.30

44.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 NOK 1,276

$104 €92.9

28.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 NOK 1,462

$128 €115

19.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 NOK 19.3K

$756 €674

167.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 NOK 15.0K

$652 €582

141.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 NOK 29.2K

$1,294 €1,154

136.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 NOK 22.4K

$1,163 €1,038

101.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K NOK 112.2K

$4,008 €3,577

193.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,804 NOK 65.0K

$3,452 €3,081

97.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,578 NOK 43.7K

$1,243 €1,110

268.20%

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 Oslo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.1%

Athens

$652 36.5% 58.6% $923

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$514 15.1%

Athens

$315 17.6% 38.8% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$504 14.8%

Athens

$267 14.9% 47.1% $237

Eating Out

Oslo

$401 11.7%

Athens

$269 15% 33% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$201 5.9%

Athens

$165 9.2% 17.9% $36

Getting Around

Oslo

$123 3.6%

Athens

$46 2.6% 62.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$98 2.9%

Athens

$76 4.3% 22% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,021 in Oslo and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 268% 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: $125 in Oslo vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $514 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

1 h ahead of Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oslo Athens 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Oslo
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

Oslo vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 91% lower than in Oslo. 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 268% higher in Oslo, 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: $2,021 in Oslo versus $756 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 $66.0 versus $125 in Oslo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,443 per month in Oslo versus $1,806 in Athens – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $3,443 in Oslo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Oslo. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Oslo 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 91% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.