Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asmara and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,387 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,387

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,387 in Asmara versus $1,779 in Athens.

Asmara $1,387
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,176 in Asmara versus $2,721 in Athens.

Asmara $2,176
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,965 in Asmara versus $3,663 in Athens.

Asmara $2,965
Athens $3,663

Living in Asmara costs roughly 22% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Asmara 3% above, Athens 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.15 ERN 318

$16.83 €15.10

25.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.82 ERN 509

$66.0 €59.2

-48.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 ERN 90.7

$11.21 €10.06

-46.21%

Cappuccino

$0.83 ERN 12.56

$4.08 €3.66

-79.66%

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

$0.98 ERN 14.70

$2.77 €2.49

-64.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 ERN 15.47

$0.54 €0.48

90.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.61 ERN 9.25

$5.70 €5.11

-89.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.62

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ERN 24.79

$1.84 €1.65

-10.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 ERN 35.45

$2.67 €2.40

-11.61%

Eggs

$4.51 ERN 67.9

$4.95 €4.44

-8.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.01 ERN 45.34

$15.09 €13.55

-80.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.76 ERN 403

$10.99 €9.86

143.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 ERN 151

$19.77 €17.74

-49.37%

Apples (1kg)

$11.98 ERN 180

$2.12 €1.90

465.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ERN 19.84

$1.98 €1.78

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ERN 29.61

$1.33 €1.19

48.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ERN 17.96

$2.16 €1.94

-44.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 ERN 26.92

$1.06 €0.95

68.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 ERN 13.31

$1.15 €1.03

-23.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 ERN 32.55

$0.85 €0.76

154.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.90

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 ERN 178

$10.03 €9.00

17.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ERN 15.45

$2.04 €1.83

-49.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 ERN 14.81

$2.38 €2.14

-58.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 ERN 1.86

$1.35 €1.21

-91.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.14 ERN 123

$30.52 €27.39

-73.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.42

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ERN 8.85

$1.03 €0.92

-42.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.17 ERN 153

$16.49 €14.79

-38.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.44 ERN 36.77

$2.34 €2.10

4.27%

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

$67.8K ERN 1.0M

$27.8K €24.9K

144.03%

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

$69.2K ERN 1.0M

$26.6K €23.9K

160.06%

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

$25.45 ERN 383

$202 €181

-87.41%

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

$67.8 ERN 1,021

$26.81 €24.06

153.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$202 ERN 3,038

$30.49 €27.36

562.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.44 ERN 413

$54.1 €48.52

-49.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.10 ERN 76.7

$27.40 €24.59

-81.39%

Cinema Ticket

$1.23 ERN 18.51

$10.44 €9.37

-88.22%

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

$24.55 ERN 369

$568 €509

-95.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,563 ERN 38.6K

$15.2K €13.6K

-83.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 ERN 2,072

$90.7 €81.4

51.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$122 ERN 1,838

$39.32 €35.29

210.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$203 ERN 3,059

$105 €94.4

93.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 ERN 2,253

$129 €116

16.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 ERN 3,715

$742 €666

-66.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 ERN 3,068

$648 €582

-68.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 ERN 6,644

$1,271 €1,141

-65.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$427 ERN 6,432

$1,122 €1,006

-61.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 ERN 19.1K

$3,999 €3,589

-68.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,468 ERN 37.1K

$3,281 €2,944

-24.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,117

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

170.27%

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

Last update for Asmara: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Asmara

$362 * 26.1%

Athens

$316 17.8% 12.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asmara

$295 21.3%

Athens

$260 14.6% 12.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Asmara

$276 19.9%

Athens

$164 9.2% 40.6% $112

Eating Out

Asmara

$208 * 15%

Athens

$272 15.3% 30.3% $63

Accommodation & Living

Asmara

$204 14.7%

Athens

$648 36.4% 218% $445

Sport & Entertainment

Asmara

$30 2.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 151% $45

Getting Around

Asmara

$12 * 0.8%

Athens

$45 2.5% 288% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $247 in Asmara and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34 in Asmara vs $66 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $362 vs $316, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇷 Asmara

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

04:41 4:41 AM

1 h behind Asmara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ERN = 6.64 USD

100 ERN = 5.95 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ERN – Eritrean Nakfa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 15.05 ERN (100 ERN = 6.64 USD). 1 EUR = 16.82 ERN (100 ERN = 5.95 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to ERN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Asmara Athens 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Asmara
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

Asmara vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,387 in Asmara and $1,779 in Athens, so Asmara is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,080 in Asmara and $2,669 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $247 in Asmara versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 73% less than in Athens. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $25 in Asmara versus $568 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Asmara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Asmara and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.