Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,387 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Asmara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,387 in Asmara.

Athens $1,779
Asmara $1,387

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,176 in Asmara.

Athens $2,721
Asmara $2,176

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,965 in Asmara.

Athens $3,663
Asmara $2,965

Living in Athens is roughly 28% more expensive than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 32% above, Asmara 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.10

$21.15 ERN 318

-20.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €59.2

$33.82 ERN 509

95.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €10.06

$6.03 ERN 90.7

85.90%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.66

$0.83 ERN 12.56

391.57%

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

$2.77 €2.49

$0.98 ERN 14.70

182.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$1.03 ERN 15.47

-47.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.11

$0.61 ERN 9.25

834.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.62

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.65 ERN 24.79

11.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.40

$2.36 ERN 35.45

13.14%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.44

$4.51 ERN 67.9

9.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.55

$3.01 ERN 45.34

401.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.86

$26.76 ERN 403

-58.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.74

$10.01 ERN 151

97.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$11.98 ERN 180

-82.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.32 ERN 19.84

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.97 ERN 29.61

-32.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.19 ERN 17.96

81.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.79 ERN 26.92

-40.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.88 ERN 13.31

30.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$2.16 ERN 32.55

-60.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.90

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €9.00

$11.82 ERN 178

-15.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.03 ERN 15.45

98.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$0.98 ERN 14.81

142.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.12 ERN 1.86

1025.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.39

$8.14 ERN 123

274.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.42

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.59 ERN 8.85

74.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.79

$10.17 ERN 153

62.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.44 ERN 36.77

-4.10%

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

$27.8K €24.9K

$67.8K ERN 1.0M

-59.02%

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

$26.6K €23.9K

$69.2K ERN 1.0M

-61.55%

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

$202 €181

$25.45 ERN 383

694.58%

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

$26.81 €24.06

$67.8 ERN 1,021

-60.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.36

$202 ERN 3,038

-84.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.52

$27.44 ERN 413

97.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.59

$5.10 ERN 76.7

437.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.37

$1.23 ERN 18.51

748.78%

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

$568 €509

$24.55 ERN 369

2211.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.6K

$2,563 ERN 38.6K

492.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €81.4

$138 ERN 2,072

-34.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.29

$122 ERN 1,838

-67.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.4

$203 ERN 3,059

-48.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €116

$150 ERN 2,253

-13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €666

$247 ERN 3,715

200.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €582

$204 ERN 3,068

218.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,141

$441 ERN 6,644

187.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,006

$427 ERN 6,432

162.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,589

$1,266 ERN 19.1K

215.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,944

$2,468 ERN 37.1K

32.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,117

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-63.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Asmara: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Asmara

$204 14.7% 68.6% $445

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Asmara

$362 * 26.1% 14.5% $46

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Asmara

$208 * 15% 23.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Asmara

$295 21.3% 13.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Asmara

$276 19.9% 68.3% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Asmara

$30 2.2% 60.1% $45

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Asmara

$12 * 0.8% 74.2% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $247 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $34 in Asmara. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $362, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 ERN = 6.64 USD

100 ERN = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 15.05 ERN (100 ERN = 6.64 USD). 1 EUR = 16.82 ERN (100 ERN = 5.95 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Asmara 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,779 in Athens and $1,387 in Asmara, so Asmara is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $2,080 in Asmara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $247 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 73% less than in Athens. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $25 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Asmara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Asmara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.