Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $3,140 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
Learn more

Stavanger Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,140

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,140 in Stavanger versus $1,806 in Athens.

Stavanger $3,140
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,513 in Stavanger versus $2,731 in Athens.

Stavanger $4,513
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,886 in Stavanger versus $3,656 in Athens.

Stavanger $5,886
Athens $3,656

Living in Stavanger is roughly 74% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 134% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.58 NOK 235

$16.66 €14.87

47.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.3 NOK 929

$66.2 €59.1

46.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.95 NOK 152

$11.06 €9.87

44.21%

Cappuccino

$6.25 NOK 59.7

$4.14 €3.69

50.97%

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

$5.41 NOK 51.7

$2.80 €2.50

93.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 NOK 40.57

$0.57 €0.51

645.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 NOK 130

$5.64 €5.03

142.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.78 NOK 112

$5.46 €4.87

115.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 NOK 22.61

$1.96 €1.75

20.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 33.14

$1.41 €1.26

146.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 NOK 36.59

$2.83 €2.53

35.34%

Eggs

$4.70 NOK 44.87

$5.04 €4.50

-6.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.36 NOK 137

$15.35 €13.70

-6.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.81 NOK 161

$10.34 €9.23

62.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.43 NOK 329

$18.97 €16.93

81.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 NOK 32.68

$2.17 €1.93

57.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 26.00

$1.91 €1.70

42.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 NOK 33.78

$1.38 €1.23

156.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 NOK 46.90

$2.20 €1.96

123.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.35

$1.10 €0.98

131.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 NOK 29.79

$1.13 €1.00

176.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 NOK 26.81

$1.10 €0.99

155.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 22.33

$0.83 €0.74

181.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.13 NOK 164

$5.60 €4.99

205.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.45 NOK 176

$10.19 €9.09

81.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.72 NOK 35.54

$2.18 €1.95

70.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 NOK 42.52

$2.45 €2.19

81.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.76 NOK 45.49

$1.38 €1.23

244.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 NOK 831

$30.87 €27.55

181.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 NOK 58.2

$4.37 €3.90

39.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NOK 16.69

$1.04 €0.93

68.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$103 NOK 981

$17.11 €15.27

500.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 NOK 22.50

$2.31 €2.07

2.16%

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

$47.3K NOK 451.6K

$28.0K €25.0K

69.00%

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

$40.4K NOK 386.0K

$28.0K €25.0K

44.26%

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

$245 NOK 2,337

$210 €187

16.66%

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

$35.29 NOK 337

$26.70 €23.83

32.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 NOK 779

$30.13 €26.89

170.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 NOK 480

$54.6 €48.72

-7.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.81 NOK 352

$26.03 €23.23

41.41%

Cinema Ticket

$22.03 NOK 210

$10.78 €9.62

104.36%

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

$322 NOK 3,080

$575 €513

-43.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NOK 134.4K

$13.1K €11.7K

7.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 NOK 1,212

$93.2 €83.1

36.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.1 NOK 574

$40.68 €36.30

47.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 NOK 1,459

$104 €92.9

46.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,948

$128 €115

58.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 NOK 15.8K

$756 €674

119.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 NOK 13.2K

$652 €582

111.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 NOK 26.4K

$1,294 €1,154

113.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 NOK 19.3K

$1,163 €1,038

73.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,196 NOK 59.2K

$4,008 €3,577

54.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,307 NOK 50.7K

$3,452 €3,081

53.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,951 NOK 47.3K

$1,243 €1,110

298.20%

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 Stavanger: 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

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.6%

Athens

$652 36.5% 52.7% $727

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$513 16.2%

Athens

$315 17.6% 38.6% $198

Eating Out

Stavanger

$450 14.2%

Athens

$269 15% 40.3% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$362 11.4%

Athens

$267 14.9% 26.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$245 7.7%

Athens

$165 9.2% 32.6% $80

Getting Around

Stavanger

$121 3.8%

Athens

$46 2.6% 62% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$94 3%

Athens

$76 4.3% 19.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,658 in Stavanger and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 298% 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: $97.0 in Stavanger vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $513 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

1 h ahead of Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stavanger Athens 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Stavanger
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

Stavanger vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Stavanger. 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 298% higher in Stavanger, 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: $1,658 in Stavanger 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 $97.0 in Stavanger. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,140 per month in Stavanger versus $1,806 in Athens – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $3,140 in Stavanger, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Stavanger. 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, Stavanger 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 74% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.