Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 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
167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Arbon

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

A single person spends $1,775 per month in Athens vs $3,464 in Arbon, rent included.

Athens $1,775
Arbon $3,464

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $5,192 in Arbon, rent included.

Athens $2,721
Arbon $5,192

A family of three spends $3,666 per month in Athens vs $6,920 in Arbon, rent included.

Athens $3,666
Arbon $6,920

Athens is about 49% cheaper than Arbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Athens and Arbon sit above the global median – Athens by 31%, Arbon by 157%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$29.53 CHF 24.33

-43.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$144 CHF 118

-52.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$18.95 CHF 15.61

-41.21%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$6.11 CHF 5.03

-34.04%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$5.74 CHF 4.73

-51.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$5.09 CHF 4.19

-89.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$9.00 CHF 7.42

-36.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.17 CHF 5.08

-11.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-15.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-56.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.79 CHF 3.12

-26.12%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$7.88 CHF 6.49

-38.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$25.14 CHF 20.71

-40.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$28.42 CHF 23.41

-62.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$41.09 CHF 33.84

-55.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-35.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.39 CHF 1.97

-42.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-60.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-47.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-48.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-50.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.22 CHF 1.01

-27.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.64 CHF 8.77

-48.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$16.47 CHF 13.57

-38.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.12 CHF 1.75

0.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.25 CHF 1.85

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-71.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$96.0 CHF 79.1

-68.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-31.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$4.73 CHF 3.89

-78.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$36.17 CHF 29.79

-53.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-1.75%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

-18.64%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-28.14%

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

$205 €182

$275 CHF 227

-25.71%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$38.11 CHF 31.39

-30.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$54.4 CHF 44.78

-44.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$90.0 CHF 74.1

-39.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$39.06 CHF 32.17

-33.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$23.43 CHF 19.29

-55.53%

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

$569 €506

$2,250 CHF 1,853

-74.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

-59.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$143 CHF 118

-38.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$65.1 CHF 53.6

-37.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$143 CHF 118

-26.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$177 CHF 146

-31.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,561 CHF 1,286

-52.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,521 CHF 1,253

-56.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,904 CHF 2,392

-55.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$2,322 CHF 1,912

-50.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

-71.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

-74.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$11.1K CHF 9,124

-88.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

1.9

135.79%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9% 132% $867

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Arbon

$588 17% 89.4% $278

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Arbon

$467 13.5% 74.2% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Arbon

$368 10.6% 40.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Arbon

$238 6.9% 48.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Arbon

$137 4% 81.7% $62

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Arbon

$145 4.2% 224% $101

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $741 in Athens versus $1,561 in Arbon. 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 792% higher in Arbon, 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 $144 in Arbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $588 – making Athens the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

12:42 12:42 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

15,853

💱 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

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Between locations

Athens Arbon 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,775 in Athens, $3,464 in Arbon – roughly 95% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,662 per month in Athens and $5,197 in Arbon. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,775 in Athens and $3,464 in Arbon. That's a gap of about 95%.

Public transport costs about 221% less in Athens. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Athens, where all-in costs run around $1,775, than in Arbon at $3,464. In Athens it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon 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 $3,464 in Arbon. 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, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.