Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Arnhem

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,578 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,578

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Arnhem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $2,578 in Arnhem.

Athens $1,806
Arnhem $2,578

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $3,771 in Arnhem.

Athens $2,731
Arnhem $3,771

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $4,963 in Arnhem.

Athens $3,656
Arnhem $4,963

Living in Athens costs roughly 30% less than in Arnhem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Arnhem 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$22.70 €20.26

-26.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$87.4 €78.0

-24.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$13.44 €11.99

-17.71%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$4.16 €3.71

-0.48%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$3.29 €2.93

-14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.85 €2.54

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$5.65 €5.04

-0.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$5.74 €5.12

-4.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.43 €1.27

37.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.07 €1.85

-31.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.33 €2.08

21.46%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$5.39 €4.81

-6.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$12.96 €11.57

18.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$14.57 €13.01

-29.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$15.70 €14.01

20.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.74 €2.44

-20.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.51 €2.24

-23.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.83 €1.64

-24.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$5.56 €4.96

-60.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.89 €1.68

-41.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$2.36 €2.11

-52.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.28 €1.14

-14.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.72 €0.64

15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$14.29 €12.75

-60.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$7.01 €6.26

45.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.45 €1.30

50.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.65 €2.37

-7.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$4.50 €4.02

-69.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$110 €98.5

-72.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$4.05 €3.62

7.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$2.38 €2.12

-56.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$33.37 €29.78

-48.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.49 €2.22

-7.23%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$40.7K €36.3K

-31.27%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$38.8K €34.7K

-27.87%

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

$210 €187

$283 €253

-25.96%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$23.28 €20.78

14.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$42.42 €37.86

-28.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$41.76 €37.27

30.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$11.05 €9.86

135.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$14.48 €12.92

-25.55%

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

$575 €513

$1,233 €1,100

-53.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$5,877 €5,245

123.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$97.6 €87.1

-4.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$29.21 €26.06

39.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$105 €93.7

-0.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$154 €138

-16.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,431 €1,277

-47.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$1,181 €1,054

-44.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$2,217 €1,979

-41.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,793 €1,600

-35.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$5,196 €4,637

-22.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$4,230 €3,775

-18.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$3,648 €3,255

-65.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.95

13.42%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Arnhem: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.5% 81% $528

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Arnhem

$339 13.1% 7.8% $25

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Arnhem

$336 13% 25% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Arnhem

$349 13.5% 30.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Arnhem

$174 6.7% 5.4% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Arnhem

$71 2.7% 7.1% $5.4

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Arnhem

$144 5.6% 214% $98

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,431 in Arnhem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 193% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $87.0 in Arnhem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $339 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

12:24 12:24 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

165,770

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Arnhem 2,080 km ≈ 3 h 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 Arnhem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens and Arnhem differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,806 vs $2,578 including rent). Athens is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 193% lower in Arnhem. 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: $756 in Athens versus $1,431 in Arnhem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Arnhem. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $87.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,578 in Arnhem, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Arnhem. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Athens and Arnhem 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 43% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.