Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Alexandra

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandra: $1,074 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Alexandra
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Alexandra Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Alexandra

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Alexandra

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Athens vs $1,074 in Alexandra, rent included.

Athens $1,771
Alexandra $1,074

A couple spends around $2,736 per month in Athens vs $1,742 in Alexandra, rent included.

Athens $2,736
Alexandra $1,742

A family of three spends $3,701 per month in Athens vs $2,409 in Alexandra, rent included.

Athens $3,701
Alexandra $2,409

Athens costs about 65% more than Alexandra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Athens sits 31% above the global median, while Alexandra is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$9.26 R 152

81.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$36.55 R 602

86.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$5.35 R 88.1

113.64%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$2.20 R 36.24

84.55%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$1.08 R 17.87

153.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.80 R 13.19

-33.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$2.40 R 39.58

137.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$2.78 R 45.85

104.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.17 R 19.23

58.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.09 R 17.92

32.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.80 R 29.62

56.67%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$2.43 R 40.11

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$8.66 R 143

76.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$5.12 R 84.3

102.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$7.12 R 117

168.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.75 R 28.80

26.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.61 R 26.53

19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.72 R 28.30

-18.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.63 R 26.86

25.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.09 R 18.04

-3.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.18 R 19.39

-0.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.20 R 19.71

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.32 R 21.76

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$3.20 R 52.7

71.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$5.09 R 83.9

99.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.58 R 26.08

34.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.90 R 31.36

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.33 R 21.94

3.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$0.29 R 4.75

1413.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.78 R 12.78

28.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$14.57 R 240

14.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.57 R 25.92

51.59%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$36.2K R 597.0K

-21.63%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$34.1K R 562.3K

-20.26%

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

$203 €181

$155 R 2,550

31.44%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$36.96 R 609

-27.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$38.04 R 627

-20.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$33.24 R 548

61.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$10.48 R 173

151.91%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$7.50 R 124

41.20%

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

$566 €504

$244 R 4,019

132.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$5,468 R 90.1K

135.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$54.6 R 899

63.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$32.16 R 530

25.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$93.5 R 1,540

11.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$85.1 R 1,402

46.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$394 R 6,483

85.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$332 R 5,468

95.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$844 R 13.9K

57.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$833 R 13.7K

40.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$919 R 15.1K

337.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$644 R 10.6K

440.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$1,775 R 29.2K

-30.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.91

-58.94%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Alexandra: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Alexandra

$332 30.9% 48.7% $315

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Alexandra

$194 18.1% 37.9% $118

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Alexandra

$142 13.2% 47.7% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Alexandra

$230 21.4% 11.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Alexandra

$119 11.1% 25.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Alexandra

$48 4.5% 35.5% $27

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Alexandra

$9.5 * 0.9% 78.7% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Athens versus $394 in Alexandra. 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 43% higher in Alexandra, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Athens versus $37.00 in Alexandra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $194 – making Alexandra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Alexandra

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

17:23 5:23 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

179,624

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Alexandra 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Alexandra

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 Alexandra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens costs about 65% more than Alexandra, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,657 per month in Athens and $1,612 in Alexandra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Athens and $1,074 in Alexandra. That's a gap of about 65%.

Kindergarten costs $566 per month in Athens and $244 in Alexandra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandra, where all-in costs run around $1,074, than in Athens at $1,771. In Alexandra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandra costs $1,074 versus $1,771 in Athens. 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 Alexandra. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Athens makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.