Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $1,775 in Athens, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Athens $1,775

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $2,721 in Athens, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Athens $2,721

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $3,666 in Athens, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Athens $3,666

Arklow costs about 48% more than Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arklow and Athens sit above the global median – Arklow by 94%, Athens by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.87

$16.69 €14.84

33.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$67.8 €60.3

32.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$11.14 €9.91

0.99%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.67

$4.03 €3.58

2.23%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$2.77 €2.46

5.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.55 €0.49

309.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$5.74 €5.10

-4.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$5.45 €4.84

-5.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.82 €1.62

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.38 €1.23

61.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.80 €2.49

-32.14%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$4.83 €4.30

-3.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$15.05 €13.39

-5.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.71

$10.63 €9.45

23.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$18.43 €16.39

-9.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.20 €1.96

48.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.90 €1.69

52.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.37 €1.22

149.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$2.10 €1.87

123.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.08 €0.96

118.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.12 €1.00

63.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.12 €1.00

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.88 €0.79

144.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.07

$5.48 €4.88

270.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$10.13 €9.01

34.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$2.13 €1.89

91.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.25 €2.00

60.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.36 €1.21

76.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.61

$4.45 €3.96

16.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.02 €0.90

50.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$16.92 €15.05

96.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.25 €2.00

-5.78%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$28.0K €24.9K

38.37%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$28.2K €25.1K

32.14%

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

$240 €213

$205 €182

17.25%

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

$22.10 €19.65

$26.65 €23.70

-17.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$30.38 €27.02

81.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.2

$54.5 €48.46

5.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$10.42 €9.27

30.33%

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

$1,066 €948

$569 €506

87.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,807

$12.6K €11.2K

-57.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$88.7 €78.9

5.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.53

$40.46 €35.99

7.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$105 €93.3

1.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$121 €108

-2.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$741 €659

111.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,178

$655 €582

102.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,541

$1,300 €1,156

119.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,148 €1,021

58.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,325

$1,242 €1,105

291.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

4.48

-7.59%

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

Last update for Arklow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Athens

$655 36.9% 50.6% $670

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Athens

$310 17.5% 20.8% $81

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Athens

$268 15.1% 16.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Athens

$262 14.7% 17.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Athens

$160 9% 1.7% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 11% $9.3

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 99.3% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow versus $741 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 291% higher in Arklow, 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 $89.0 in Arklow versus $68.0 in Athens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $310 – making Athens the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

2 h ahead of Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

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

Arklow Athens 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Arklow
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

Arklow vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $1,775 in Athens – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow and $2,662 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 $89.0 in Arklow and $68.0 in Athens. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Athens, where all-in costs run around $1,775, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Athens it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow 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 $1,775 in Athens to $2,624 in Arklow. 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, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.