Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arnhem and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,578 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,578

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,578 in Arnhem versus $1,806 in Athens.

Arnhem $2,578
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,771 in Arnhem versus $2,731 in Athens.

Arnhem $3,771
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,963 in Arnhem versus $3,656 in Athens.

Arnhem $4,963
Athens $3,656

Living in Arnhem is roughly 43% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arnhem 92% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.26

$16.66 €14.87

36.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 €78.0

$66.2 €59.1

32.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 €11.99

$11.06 €9.87

21.52%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.71

$4.14 €3.69

0.48%

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

$3.29 €2.93

$2.80 €2.50

17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.54

$0.57 €0.51

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 €5.04

$5.64 €5.03

0.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.12

$5.46 €4.87

5.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.96 €1.75

-27.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.41 €1.26

46.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.83 €2.53

-17.67%

Eggs

$5.39 €4.81

$5.04 €4.50

6.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 €11.57

$15.35 €13.70

-15.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 €13.01

$10.34 €9.23

40.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.70 €14.01

$18.97 €16.93

-17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.17 €1.93

26.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.91 €1.70

31.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.38 €1.23

32.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.56 €4.96

$2.20 €1.96

152.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.10 €0.98

71.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.13 €1.00

108.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.10 €0.99

16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$0.83 €0.74

-13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 €12.75

$5.60 €4.99

155.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 €6.26

$10.19 €9.09

-31.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$2.18 €1.95

-33.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.45 €2.19

8.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.50 €4.02

$1.38 €1.23

226.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 €98.5

$30.87 €27.55

257.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 €3.62

$4.37 €3.90

-7.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.04 €0.93

128.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$17.11 €15.27

95.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.31 €2.07

7.79%

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

$40.7K €36.3K

$28.0K €25.0K

45.50%

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

$38.8K €34.7K

$28.0K €25.0K

38.64%

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

$283 €253

$210 €187

35.06%

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

$23.28 €20.78

$26.70 €23.83

-12.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.42 €37.86

$30.13 €26.89

40.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.76 €37.27

$54.6 €48.72

-23.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.05 €9.86

$26.03 €23.23

-57.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.48 €12.92

$10.78 €9.62

34.32%

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

$1,233 €1,100

$575 €513

114.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,877 €5,245

$13.1K €11.7K

-55.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.6 €87.1

$93.2 €83.1

4.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.21 €26.06

$40.68 €36.30

-28.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$104 €92.9

0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €138

$128 €115

20.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 €1,277

$756 €674

89.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 €1,054

$652 €582

81.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,217 €1,979

$1,294 €1,154

71.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 €1,600

$1,163 €1,038

54.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,196 €4,637

$4,008 €3,577

29.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,230 €3,775

$3,452 €3,081

22.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,648 €3,255

$1,243 €1,110

193.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

4.48

-11.83%

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

Last update for Arnhem: 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

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.5%

Athens

$652 36.5% 44.8% $528

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arnhem

$349 13.5%

Athens

$267 14.9% 23.6% $82

Groceries & Markets

Arnhem

$339 13.1%

Athens

$315 17.6% 7.2% $25

Eating Out

Arnhem

$336 13%

Athens

$269 15% 20% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Arnhem

$174 6.7%

Athens

$165 9.2% 5.2% $9

Getting Around

Arnhem

$144 5.6%

Athens

$46 2.6% 68.2% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Arnhem

$71 2.7%

Athens

$76 4.3% 7.7% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,431 in Arnhem and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 193% 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: $87.0 in Arnhem vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

13:24 1:24 PM

1 h ahead of Arnhem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,770

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

Arnhem Athens 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Arnhem vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arnhem and Athens differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($2,578 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 193% higher in Arnhem, 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: $1,431 in Arnhem versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Arnhem. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $87.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,578 in Arnhem, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Arnhem. 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, Arnhem 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 43% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.