Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alkmaar and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,379 in Alkmaar, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Alkmaar
Learn more

Alkmaar Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Alkmaar

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,379

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,379 in Alkmaar versus $1,775 in Athens.

Alkmaar $2,379
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,521 in Alkmaar versus $2,721 in Athens.

Alkmaar $3,521
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,662 in Alkmaar versus $3,666 in Athens.

Alkmaar $4,662
Athens $3,666

Living in Alkmaar is roughly 34% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alkmaar 76% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.95 €26.64

$16.69 €14.84

79.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.2 €80.2

$67.8 €60.3

33.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.57 €12.96

$11.14 €9.91

30.79%

Cappuccino

$3.91 €3.48

$4.03 €3.58

-2.98%

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

$3.14 €2.80

$2.77 €2.46

13.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$0.55 €0.49

345.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €5.08

$5.74 €5.10

-0.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.00

$5.45 €4.85

-17.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.82 €1.62

-20.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.38 €1.23

69.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$2.80 €2.49

26.43%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.21

$4.83 €4.30

-1.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.90 €12.37

$15.05 €13.39

-7.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.52 €12.91

$10.63 €9.45

36.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.18 €15.28

$18.43 €16.39

-6.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.20 €1.96

16.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.90 €1.69

26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.37 €1.22

30.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$2.10 €1.87

101.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.08 €0.96

81.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.12 €1.00

85.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.12 €1.00

13.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.88 €0.79

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.76 €11.35

$5.48 €4.88

132.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 €6.41

$10.13 €9.01

-28.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.13 €1.89

-40.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.25 €2.00

-0.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.36 €1.21

66.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.3 €51.8

$29.89 €26.59

94.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.52

$4.45 €3.96

-36.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.02 €0.90

60.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.57 €21.86

$16.92 €15.05

45.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.25 €2.00

4.00%

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

$40.8K €36.3K

$28.0K €24.9K

45.67%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$28.2K €25.1K

37.78%

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

$239 €213

$205 €182

16.88%

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

$20.90 €18.59

$26.65 €23.71

-21.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.16 €41.06

$30.38 €27.02

51.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.38 €40.37

$54.5 €48.47

-16.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.17 €5.49

$25.88 €23.02

-76.16%

Cinema Ticket

$15.01 €13.36

$10.42 €9.27

44.05%

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

$716 €637

$569 €506

25.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,313 €2,058

$12.6K €11.2K

-81.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €100

$88.7 €78.9

26.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.65 €40.60

$40.46 €35.99

12.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.3

$105 €93.3

2.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$121 €108

-3.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 €701

$741 €659

6.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 €903

$655 €582

55.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 €2,504

$1,300 €1,156

116.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 €1,395

$1,148 €1,021

36.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,013 €4,459

$4,014 €3,570

24.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,123 €3,668

$3,460 €3,078

19.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,317 €2,951

$1,242 €1,105

167.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-10.71%

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

Last update for Alkmaar: 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

Alkmaar

$1K 42.7%

Athens

$655 36.9% 35.5% $360

Eating Out

Alkmaar

$390 16.4%

Athens

$268 15.1% 31.3% $122

Groceries & Markets

Alkmaar

$342 14.4%

Athens

$310 17.5% 9.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alkmaar

$306 12.9%

Athens

$262 14.7% 14.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Alkmaar

$172 7.2%

Athens

$160 9% 7.2% $12

Getting Around

Alkmaar

$78 3.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 42.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Alkmaar

$75 3.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Alkmaar and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alkmaar pays 167% 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: $90.0 in Alkmaar vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Alkmaar

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

12:05 12:05 PM

1 h ahead of Alkmaar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,834

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alkmaar Athens 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Alkmaar
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

Alkmaar vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Alkmaar. 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 167% higher in Alkmaar, 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: $788 in Alkmaar versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Athens runs roughly 95% less than in Alkmaar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $716 in Alkmaar versus $569 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,379 in Alkmaar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Alkmaar. 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, Alkmaar 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 34% less than in Alkmaar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.