Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aachen and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $1,931 in Aachen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,931

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,931 per month in Aachen vs $1,806 in Athens, rent included.

Aachen $1,931
Athens $1,806

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in Aachen vs $2,731 in Athens, rent included.

Aachen $2,903
Athens $2,731

A family of three spends $3,876 per month in Aachen vs $3,656 in Athens, rent included.

Aachen $3,876
Athens $3,656

Aachen costs about 7% more than Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Aachen and Athens sit above the global median – Aachen by 44%, Athens by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.98 €14.26

$16.66 €14.87

-4.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 €54.1

$66.2 €59.1

-8.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 €10.21

$11.06 €9.87

3.44%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.42

$4.14 €3.69

-7.49%

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

$2.73 €2.44

$2.80 €2.50

-2.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.65

$0.57 €0.51

421.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 €4.50

$5.64 €5.03

-10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 €5.16

$5.46 €4.87

5.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.96 €1.75

-37.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.41 €1.26

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 €3.18

$2.83 €2.53

25.80%

Eggs

$3.46 €3.09

$5.04 €4.50

-31.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.38 €12.84

$15.35 €13.70

-6.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 €10.22

$10.34 €9.23

10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 €18.98

$18.97 €16.93

12.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.17 €1.93

56.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.91 €1.70

21.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.38 €1.23

55.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$2.20 €1.96

51.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.10 €0.98

35.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.13 €1.00

33.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.10 €0.99

29.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.83 €0.74

44.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 €8.87

$5.60 €4.99

77.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$10.19 €9.09

-33.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.18 €1.95

-46.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.45 €2.19

-32.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 €3.45

$1.38 €1.23

180.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.3

$30.87 €27.55

126.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.77

$4.37 €3.90

22.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.04 €0.93

152.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.76 €32.80

$17.11 €15.27

114.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.31 €2.07

-0.87%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$28.0K €25.0K

19.04%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$28.0K €25.0K

39.51%

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

$375 €335

$210 €187

78.99%

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

$17.00 €15.17

$26.70 €23.83

-36.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.36 €42.26

$30.13 €26.89

57.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.39 €33.37

$54.6 €48.72

-31.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.99 €24.98

$26.03 €23.23

7.53%

Cinema Ticket

$15.48 €13.81

$10.78 €9.62

43.60%

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

$745 €664

$575 €513

29.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K €17.5K

$13.1K €11.7K

49.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.1 €82.2

$93.2 €83.1

-1.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 €37.40

$40.68 €36.30

3.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 €74.0

$104 €92.9

-20.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$128 €115

3.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 €747

$756 €674

10.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 €508

$652 €582

-12.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 €1,343

$1,294 €1,154

16.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 €925

$1,163 €1,038

-10.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,432 €3,955

$4,008 €3,577

10.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,464 €3,091

$3,452 €3,081

0.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,614 €3,225

$1,243 €1,110

190.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.48

-11.61%

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

Last update for Aachen: October 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aachen

$570 29.4%

Athens

$652 36.5% 14.5% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aachen

$440 22.7%

Athens

$267 14.9% 39.4% $173

Groceries & Markets

Aachen

$330 17%

Athens

$315 17.6% 4.6% $15

Eating Out

Aachen

$268 13.8%

Athens

$269 15% 0.4% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Aachen

$157 8.1%

Athens

$165 9.2% 4.8% $7.6

Getting Around

Aachen

$104 5.4%

Athens

$46 2.6% 55.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Aachen

$68 3.5%

Athens

$76 4.3% 11.4% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $837 in Aachen versus $756 in Athens. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 191% higher in Aachen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen versus $66.0 in Athens. Groceries tell a different story – $330 in Aachen vs $315 in Athens – so Athens wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Aachen

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h ahead of Aachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,683

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Aachen Athens 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Aachen
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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

Aachen vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,931 in Aachen, $1,806 in Athens – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,896 per month in Aachen and $2,709 in Athens. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Athens, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen and $66.0 in Athens. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,931 in Aachen and $1,806 in Athens. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Athens, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Aachen at $1,931. In Athens it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aachen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Athens has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,806 in Athens to $1,931 in Aachen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Athens. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aachen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.