Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antwerp and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,197 in Antwerp, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Antwerp
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Antwerp Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Antwerp

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,197

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,197 in Antwerp versus $1,806 in Athens.

Antwerp $2,197
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,371 in Antwerp versus $2,731 in Athens.

Antwerp $3,371
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,545 in Antwerp versus $3,656 in Athens.

Antwerp $4,545
Athens $3,656

Living in Antwerp is roughly 22% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Antwerp 64% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.46 €20.92

$16.66 €14.85

40.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 €94.2

$66.2 €59.0

59.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.77

$11.06 €9.86

19.35%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.92

$4.14 €3.69

6.04%

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

$3.57 €3.18

$2.80 €2.50

27.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 €3.24

$0.57 €0.51

536.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.23 €5.56

$5.46 €4.86

14.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.96 €1.74

-30.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 €2.49

$1.41 €1.25

97.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.83 €2.53

-22.61%

Eggs

$3.69 €3.29

$5.04 €4.49

-26.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 €15.18

$15.35 €13.68

10.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.20 €10.88

$10.34 €9.22

17.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.96 €20.47

$18.97 €16.92

21.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.71

$2.17 €1.93

40.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.91 €1.70

23.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.38 €1.23

97.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.20 €1.96

53.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.10 €0.98

123.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.13 €1.00

74.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.10 €0.98

35.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.83 €0.74

27.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.81 €11.42

$5.60 €4.99

128.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 €7.93

$10.19 €9.08

-12.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.18 €1.95

-19.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.45 €2.18

-16.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.38 €1.23

145.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 €49.55

$30.87 €27.52

80.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 €4.90

$4.37 €3.90

25.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.04 €0.93

157.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.04 €39.27

$17.11 €15.26

157.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.31 €2.06

-9.96%

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

$35.3K €31.5K

$28.0K €24.9K

26.13%

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

$34.0K €30.4K

$28.0K €25.0K

21.52%

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

$206 €183

$210 €187

-2.01%

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

$21.64 €19.29

$26.70 €23.80

-18.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.82 €42.64

$30.13 €26.86

58.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.87 €32.87

$54.6 €48.68

-32.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.20 €24.25

$26.03 €23.21

4.49%

Cinema Ticket

$15.45 €13.77

$10.78 €9.61

43.32%

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

$1,617 €1,441

$575 €513

181.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.7K €30.1K

$13.1K €11.7K

157.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €99.7

$93.2 €83.1

20.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €45.55

$40.68 €36.27

25.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.0

$104 €92.8

-0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €152

$128 €114

32.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 €921

$756 €674

36.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 €764

$652 €582

31.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 €1,430

$1,294 €1,153

23.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,201

$1,163 €1,037

15.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,499 €4,011

$4,008 €3,574

12.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,040 €2,711

$3,452 €3,078

-11.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,087 €2,753

$1,243 €1,109

148.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.48

-22.77%

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

Last update for Antwerp: 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

Antwerp

$857 39%

Athens

$652 36.5% 23.9% $205

Groceries & Markets

Antwerp

$364 16.6%

Athens

$315 17.6% 13.5% $49

Eating Out

Antwerp

$349 15.9%

Athens

$269 15% 23.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antwerp

$275 12.5%

Athens

$267 14.9% 3.1% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Antwerp

$196 8.9%

Athens

$165 9.2% 16.1% $32

Getting Around

Antwerp

$88 4%

Athens

$46 2.6% 47.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Antwerp

$68 3.1%

Athens

$76 4.3% 12.4% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,033 in Antwerp and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Antwerp pays 148% 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: $106 in Antwerp vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Antwerp

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

1 h ahead of Antwerp

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

525,935

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Antwerp Athens 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Antwerp vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antwerp and Athens differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,197 vs $1,806 including rent). Athens is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 148% higher in Antwerp, 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: $1,033 in Antwerp versus $756 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 80% less than in Antwerp. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,617 in Antwerp versus $575 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,197 in Antwerp, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Antwerp. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Antwerp 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 22% less than in Antwerp. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.