Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Alkmaar

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,379 in Alkmaar, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Alkmaar
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Alkmaar Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Alkmaar

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Alkmaar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,379 in Alkmaar.

Athens $1,775
Alkmaar $2,379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,521 in Alkmaar.

Athens $2,721
Alkmaar $3,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,662 in Alkmaar.

Athens $3,666
Alkmaar $4,662

Living in Athens costs roughly 25% less than in Alkmaar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Alkmaar 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$29.95 €26.64

-44.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$90.2 €80.2

-24.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$14.57 €12.96

-23.54%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.91 €3.48

3.07%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.14 €2.80

-11.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.45 €2.18

-77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.72 €5.08

0.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.50 €4.00

21.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.44 €1.28

26.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.34 €2.08

-41.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.54 €3.15

-20.90%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.74 €4.21

1.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.90 €12.37

8.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$14.52 €12.91

-26.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$17.18 €15.28

7.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.56 €2.27

-14.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.40 €2.13

-20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.79 €1.59

-23.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.24 €3.77

-50.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.96 €1.75

-44.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.08 €1.85

-46.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.27 €1.13

-11.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.80 €0.71

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$12.76 €11.35

-57.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.21 €6.41

40.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.27 €1.13

67.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.23 €1.98

0.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.27 €2.02

-40.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$58.3 €51.8

-48.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$2.83 €2.52

57.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.64 €1.46

-37.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$24.57 €21.86

-31.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.34 €2.08

-3.85%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$40.8K €36.3K

-31.35%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.9K €34.6K

-27.42%

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

$205 €182

$239 €213

-14.44%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$20.90 €18.59

27.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$46.16 €41.06

-34.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$45.38 €40.37

20.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$6.17 €5.49

319.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$15.01 €13.36

-30.58%

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

$569 €506

$716 €637

-20.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$2,313 €2,058

444.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$112 €100

-21.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$45.65 €40.60

-11.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$107 €95.3

-2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$118 €105

3.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$788 €701

-6.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,015 €903

-35.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,815 €2,504

-53.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,568 €1,395

-26.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$5,013 €4,459

-19.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$4,123 €3,668

-16.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,317 €2,951

-62.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

12.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alkmaar: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Alkmaar

$1K 42.7% 55% $360

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Alkmaar

$342 14.4% 10.2% $32

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Alkmaar

$390 16.4% 45.5% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Alkmaar

$306 12.9% 17% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Alkmaar

$172 7.2% 7.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Alkmaar

$75 3.2% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Alkmaar

$78 3.3% 74.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $788 in Alkmaar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alkmaar pays 167% 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 $90.0 in Alkmaar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $342 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇱 Alkmaar

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

111,834

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Alkmaar 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Athens
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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 Alkmaar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Alkmaar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 167% lower in Alkmaar. 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 $788 in Alkmaar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Athens runs roughly 95% less than in Alkmaar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $716 in Alkmaar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,379 in Alkmaar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Alkmaar. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Alkmaar 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 34% less than in Alkmaar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.