Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarpsborg and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $2,841 in Sarpsborg, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
Learn more

Sarpsborg Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,841

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,841 in Sarpsborg versus $1,771 in Athens.

Sarpsborg $2,841
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,154 in Sarpsborg versus $2,736 in Athens.

Sarpsborg $4,154
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,467 in Sarpsborg versus $3,701 in Athens.

Sarpsborg $5,467
Athens $3,701

Living in Sarpsborg is roughly 60% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sarpsborg 110% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$40.33 NOK 380

$16.83 €14.97

139.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 NOK 938

$68.2 €60.7

45.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.43 NOK 183

$11.43 €10.17

69.99%

Cappuccino

$5.72 NOK 53.8

$4.06 €3.61

40.89%

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

$2.78 NOK 26.16

$2.74 €2.44

1.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 NOK 24.48

$0.53 €0.47

390.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.25 NOK 58.8

$5.69 €5.06

9.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.41 NOK 79.1

$5.68 €5.06

48.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.80 NOK 26.36

$1.85 €1.64

51.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 NOK 31.37

$1.44 €1.28

131.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 NOK 38.86

$2.82 €2.51

46.45%

Eggs

$4.28 NOK 40.27

$4.86 €4.32

-11.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 NOK 119

$15.27 €13.58

-17.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.89 NOK 150

$10.36 €9.21

53.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.18 NOK 341

$19.10 €16.99

89.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 NOK 35.39

$2.22 €1.98

69.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 NOK 26.60

$1.92 €1.71

47.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 NOK 36.55

$1.41 €1.25

175.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 NOK 47.07

$2.04 €1.82

145.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 NOK 28.05

$1.05 €0.93

183.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 NOK 31.28

$1.17 €1.04

183.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 NOK 24.45

$1.08 €0.96

140.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 NOK 24.58

$0.84 €0.75

210.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.94 NOK 169

$5.49 €4.89

226.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 NOK 167

$10.17 €9.05

74.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 NOK 31.02

$2.13 €1.90

54.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 NOK 43.22

$2.28 €2.03

101.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 NOK 25.40

$1.37 €1.22

97.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.1 NOK 707

$29.71 €26.43

152.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.17 NOK 115

$4.39 €3.90

177.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NOK 18.10

$1.00 €0.89

92.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.9 NOK 592

$16.63 €14.79

278.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 NOK 21.00

$2.38 €2.11

-6.30%

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

$54.3K NOK 511.0K

$28.4K €25.3K

91.14%

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

$43.0K NOK 405.0K

$27.2K €24.2K

58.08%

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

$299 NOK 2,815

$203 €181

47.00%

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

$31.27 NOK 294

$26.79 €23.83

16.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$30.16 €26.82

79.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 NOK 472

$53.7 €47.74

-6.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.34 NOK 380

$26.40 €23.48

52.80%

Cinema Ticket

$19.99 NOK 188

$10.59 €9.42

88.76%

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

$243 NOK 2,286

$566 €504

-57.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NOK 123.0K

$12.9K €11.4K

1.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 NOK 1,073

$89.1 €79.3

27.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 NOK 586

$40.48 €36.01

53.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 NOK 1,086

$104 €92.3

11.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 NOK 1,679

$124 €111

43.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 NOK 11.6K

$729 €648

69.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NOK 9,537

$647 €576

56.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 NOK 14.7K

$1,328 €1,181

17.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 NOK 12.9K

$1,169 €1,040

17.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,847 NOK 55.0K

$4,024 €3,579

45.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,175 NOK 39.3K

$3,483 €3,098

19.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,626 NOK 24.7K

$1,240 €1,103

111.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

4.48

15.62%

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

Last update for Sarpsborg: October 19, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarpsborg

$1K 35.7%

Athens

$647 36.5% 36.1% $366

Eating Out

Sarpsborg

$519 18.3%

Athens

$271 15.3% 47.9% $249

Groceries & Markets

Sarpsborg

$516 18.1%

Athens

$312 17.6% 39.4% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarpsborg

$384 13.5%

Athens

$260 14.7% 32.3% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Sarpsborg

$211 7.4%

Athens

$161 9.1% 23.9% $51

Getting Around

Sarpsborg

$108 3.8%

Athens

$45 2.5% 58.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Sarpsborg

$90 3.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 16.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,232 in Sarpsborg and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarpsborg pays 112% 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: $100 in Sarpsborg vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $516 vs $312 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

00:24 12:24 AM

1 h ahead of Sarpsborg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,906

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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sarpsborg Athens 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sarpsborg
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

Sarpsborg vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Sarpsborg. 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 112% higher in Sarpsborg, 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: $1,232 in Sarpsborg versus $729 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 $100 in Sarpsborg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,841 per month in Sarpsborg versus $1,771 in Athens – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $2,841 in Sarpsborg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Sarpsborg. 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 $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sarpsborg 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 60% less than in Sarpsborg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.