Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Alton

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,530 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Alton

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

A single person spends $1,775 per month in Athens vs $2,530 in Alton, rent included.

Athens $1,775
Alton $2,530

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $3,777 in Alton, rent included.

Athens $2,721
Alton $3,777

A family of three spends $3,666 per month in Athens vs $5,024 in Alton, rent included.

Athens $3,666
Alton $5,024

Athens is about 30% cheaper than Alton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Athens and Alton sit above the global median – Athens by 31%, Alton by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$26.36 £19.78

-36.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$105 £78.8

-35.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.66 £8.00

4.50%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$5.55 £4.17

-27.39%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.00 £2.25

-7.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.10 £1.58

-73.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$9.03 £6.77

-36.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$7.83 £5.87

-30.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.88 £1.41

-3.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.09 £1.57

-33.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.37 £1.78

18.14%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.37 £2.53

43.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$12.69 £9.52

18.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$10.83 £8.12

-1.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$17.10 £12.83

7.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.11 £2.33

-29.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.40 £1.05

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.00 £2.25

-54.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.33 £2.49

-36.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.67 £1.25

-35.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.81 £1.36

-38.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.45 £1.09

-22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.87 £1.40

-52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$23.32 £17.49

-76.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$10.63 £7.98

-4.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.34 £1.76

-8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.67 £2.01

-15.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.34 £2.51

-59.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$96.8 £72.6

-69.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.49 £4.12

-18.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$3.37 £2.53

-69.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$25.82 £19.37

-34.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.12 £1.59

6.13%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$38.8K £29.1K

-27.76%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$40.6K £30.4K

-30.41%

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

$205 €182

$366 £275

-44.10%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$17.92 £13.44

48.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$40.71 £30.54

-25.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$45.21 £33.92

20.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$17.61 £13.21

-40.83%

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

$569 €506

$2,896 £2,173

-80.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$35.1K £26.3K

-64.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$113 £84.6

-21.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$54.4 £40.77

-25.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$125 £94.1

-16.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$97.4 £73.0

24.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,241 £931

-40.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$992 £744

-34.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,118 £1,589

-38.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,668 £1,252

-31.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$5,099 £3,825

-21.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,932 £2,950

-12.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.65

-3.66%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Alton

$992 39.2% 51.6% $338

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Alton

$334 13.2% 7.6% $23

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Alton

$391 15.4% 45.7% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Alton

$425 16.8% 62.3% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Alton

$175 6.9% 9.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Alton

$80 3.2% 6.8% $5.1

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Alton

$133 5.2% 195% $88

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $741 in Athens versus $1,241 in Alton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Athens versus $105 in Alton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $334 – making Athens the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇧 Alton

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

03:47 3:47 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

17,816

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Alton 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Alton

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 Alton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,775 in Athens, $2,530 in Alton – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,662 per month in Athens and $3,795 in Alton. 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 224% less in Athens. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $569 per month in Athens and $2,896 in Alton. 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 Alton at $2,530. In Athens it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Athens has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,775 in Athens to $2,530 in Alton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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