Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Aarau

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,794 in Aarau, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
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Aarau Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Aarau

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 Aarau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,775 per month in Athens vs $2,794 in Aarau, rent included.

Athens $1,775
Aarau $2,794

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $4,568 in Aarau, rent included.

Athens $2,721
Aarau $4,568

A family of three spends $3,666 per month in Athens vs $6,342 in Aarau, rent included.

Athens $3,666
Aarau $6,342

Athens is about 36% cheaper than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Athens and Aarau sit above the global median – Athens by 31%, Aarau by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$29.07 CHF 23.94

-42.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$106 CHF 87.6

-36.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$17.63 CHF 14.52

-36.81%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$5.80 CHF 4.78

-30.52%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$5.22 CHF 4.30

-46.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-88.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$6.15 CHF 5.06

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.60 CHF 5.44

-17.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-11.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.62 CHF 2.98

-61.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.59 CHF 2.13

8.11%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$7.22 CHF 5.95

-33.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$30.30 CHF 24.96

-50.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$29.34 CHF 24.16

-63.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$40.30 CHF 33.19

-54.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.89 CHF 2.38

-23.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.78 CHF 1.46

6.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-43.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$5.50 CHF 4.53

-61.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.66 CHF 1.37

-34.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.96 CHF 1.61

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.28 CHF 1.87

-50.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.19 CHF 0.98

-26.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.86 CHF 8.94

-49.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$10.21 CHF 8.41

-0.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-14.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-21.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$5.11 CHF 4.20

-73.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$146 CHF 120

-79.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$6.84 CHF 5.64

-34.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$3.32 CHF 2.74

-69.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$58.8 CHF 48.45

-71.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.22 CHF 1.83

1.35%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

-34.70%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-28.13%

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

$205 €182

$120 CHF 98.9

70.36%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$30.84 CHF 25.40

-13.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$55.7 CHF 45.84

-45.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$97.9 CHF 80.6

-44.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$59.6 CHF 49.04

-56.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$21.42 CHF 17.64

-51.35%

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

$569 €506

$3,152 CHF 2,596

-81.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

-61.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$88.7 CHF 73.0

-0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$70.6 CHF 58.2

-42.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$109 CHF 90.1

-4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$169 CHF 140

-28.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,277 CHF 1,052

-42.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,033 CHF 851

-36.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,290 CHF 1,886

-43.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$2,114 CHF 1,742

-45.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$11.8K CHF 9,759

-70.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$6,801 CHF 5,601

-81.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.31

93.94%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Aarau

$1K 37% 57.8% $379

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Aarau

$588 21% 89.3% $277

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Aarau

$439 15.7% 63.6% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Aarau

$207 7.4% 21% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Aarau

$197 7.1% 23.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Aarau

$141 5% 86.9% $65

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Aarau

$190 6.8% 324% $145

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $741 in Athens versus $1,277 in Aarau. 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 447% higher in Aarau, 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 $68.0 in Athens versus $106 in Aarau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $588 – making Athens the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

00:30 12:30 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

21,191

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Aarau 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Aarau

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 Aarau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aarau costs about 57% more than Athens, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,662 per month in Athens and $4,191 in Aarau. 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.

Public transport costs about 389% less in Athens. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $569 per month in Athens and $3,152 in Aarau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Athens, where all-in costs run around $1,775, than in Aarau at $2,794. In Athens it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aarau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Athens costs $1,775 versus $2,794 in Aarau. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Aarau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.