Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Arklow

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Arklow

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

A single person spends $1,775 per month in Athens vs $2,624 in Arklow, rent included.

Athens $1,775
Arklow $2,624

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $3,680 in Arklow, rent included.

Athens $2,721
Arklow $3,680

A family of three spends $3,666 per month in Athens vs $4,737 in Arklow, rent included.

Athens $3,666
Arklow $4,737

Athens is about 32% cheaper than Arklow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Athens and Arklow sit above the global median – Athens by 31%, Arklow by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.82

$22.34 €19.84

-25.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.2

$89.5 €79.5

-24.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.89

$11.25 €9.99

-0.98%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.12 €3.66

-2.18%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.93 €2.60

-5.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.48

$2.25 €2.00

-75.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.09

$5.47 €4.86

4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$5.16 €4.58

5.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.69 €1.50

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.22

$2.23 €1.98

-38.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.90 €1.69

47.37%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.29

$4.64 €4.12

4.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.37

$14.19 €12.60

6.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.44

$13.17 €11.69

-19.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.36

$16.67 €14.80

10.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$3.26 €2.90

-32.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.68

$2.90 €2.58

-34.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.42 €3.04

-59.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.86

$4.70 €4.18

-55.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.36 €2.09

-54.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.83 €1.62

-38.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.45 €1.29

-22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.15 €1.91

-59.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.87

$20.31 €18.04

-73.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €8.99

$13.59 €12.07

-25.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$4.08 €3.62

-47.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.61 €3.20

-37.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.40 €2.14

-43.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.95

$5.18 €4.60

-14.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.54 €1.37

-33.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.03

$33.30 €29.57

-49.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €1.99

$2.12 €1.89

6.13%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$38.8K €34.4K

-27.73%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$37.3K €33.1K

-24.32%

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

$205 €182

$240 €213

-14.71%

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

$26.65 €23.67

$22.10 €19.62

20.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €26.98

$55.2 €49.00

-44.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.39

$57.5 €51.1

-5.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €22.98

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.25

$13.58 €12.06

-23.27%

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

$569 €505

$1,066 €947

-46.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,404 €4,800

132.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.7

$93.9 €83.4

-5.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.93

$43.32 €38.47

-6.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.2

$106 €94.5

-1.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$118 €105

2.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €658

$1,566 €1,391

-52.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €581

$1,325 €1,176

-50.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,154

$2,857 €2,538

-54.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,019

$1,819 €1,616

-36.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,565

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,073

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,103

$4,863 €4,319

-74.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.14

8.21%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arklow: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5% 102% $670

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Arklow

$392 14.9% 26.2% $81

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Arklow

$320 12.2% 19.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Arklow

$317 12.1% 21.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Arklow

$163 6.2% 1.8% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Arklow

$85 3.2% 12.4% $9.3

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Arklow

$23 * 0.9% 49.8% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $741 in Athens versus $1,566 in Arklow. 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 291% higher in Arklow, 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 $89.0 in Arklow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $392 – making Athens the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇪 Arklow

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

13,399

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Arklow 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Arklow

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 Arklow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,775 in Athens, $2,624 in Arklow – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,662 per month in Athens and $3,936 in Arklow. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Athens and $89.0 in Arklow. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Athens, where all-in costs run around $1,775, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Athens it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow 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 $2,624 in Arklow. 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, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.