Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Aalst

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,067 in Aalst, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
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Aalst Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Aalst

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Aalst actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,067 in Aalst.

Athens $1,775
Aalst $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,086 in Aalst.

Athens $2,721
Aalst $3,086

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,105 in Aalst.

Athens $3,666
Aalst $4,105

Living in Athens costs roughly 14% less than in Aalst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Aalst 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.89

$22.53 €20.10

-25.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.5

$106 €94.3

-35.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.94

$13.43 €11.99

-17.05%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.60

$4.43 €3.95

-9.03%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$3.63 €3.24

-23.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$3.17 €2.83

-82.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.12

$5.55 €4.96

3.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.86

$5.53 €4.93

-1.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.31 €1.17

38.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.81 €2.51

-50.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.13 €1.90

31.46%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.83 €3.42

26.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.44

$17.39 €15.52

-13.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.48

$11.87 €10.59

-10.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.44

$22.29 €19.90

-17.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.99 €2.67

-26.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.43 €2.17

-21.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.67 €2.38

-48.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.23 €2.88

-34.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.97

$2.47 €2.21

-56.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.95 €1.74

-42.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.54 €1.37

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.05 €0.94

-16.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.89

$12.93 €11.54

-57.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.04

$8.74 €7.80

15.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.72 €1.54

23.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.08 €1.85

8.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.09 €2.76

-55.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.68

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.97

$2.86 €2.55

55.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.91

$2.35 €2.09

-56.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.10

$40.40 €36.05

-58.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.12 €1.89

6.13%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$34.7K €30.9K

-19.13%

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

$28.2K €25.2K

$32.8K €29.3K

-13.97%

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

$205 €183

$203 €181

0.89%

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

$26.65 €23.79

$21.94 €19.58

21.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.12

$50.8 €45.37

-40.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.63

$36.21 €32.32

50.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.10

$21.03 €18.77

23.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.30

$15.18 €13.55

-31.36%

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

$569 €508

$1,605 €1,433

-64.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$33.7K €30.1K

-62.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €79.1

$113 €101

-21.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €36.11

$46.17 €41.21

-12.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

$102 €90.9

2.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$163 €146

-25.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €661

$911 €813

-18.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €584

$808 €721

-18.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,160

$1,384 €1,236

-6.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,024

$1,104 €985

4.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,582

$4,162 €3,714

-3.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,088

$2,890 €2,580

19.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,109

$2,782 €2,483

-55.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.46

29.48%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Aalst: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Aalst

$807 39.1% 23.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Aalst

$360 17.4% 16% $50

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Aalst

$340 16.4% 26.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Aalst

$276 13.3% 5.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Aalst

$191 9.2% 19.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Aalst

$67 3.2% 11.6% $8.8

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Aalst

$27 * 1.3% 40% $18

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 $741 in Athens and $911 in Aalst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aalst pays 124% 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $106 in Aalst for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $360 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇧🇪 Aalst

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

07:11 7:11 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

78,271

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Athens
Aalst

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

Athens vs Aalst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens and Aalst differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,775 vs $2,067 including rent). Athens is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 124% lower in Aalst. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $911 in Aalst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Aalst. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $2,067 in Aalst – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,067 in Aalst, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Aalst. 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, Athens and Aalst 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 16% less than in Aalst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.