Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Balikesir

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikesir: $942 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Balikesir
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Balikesir Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Balikesir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$942

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Balikesir

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $942 in Balikesir.

Athens $1,779
Balikesir $942

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,467 in Balikesir.

Athens $2,721
Balikesir $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,991 in Balikesir.

Athens $3,663
Balikesir $1,991

Living in Athens is roughly 89% more expensive than in Balikesir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Balikesir is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$6.88 ₺345

144.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$27.55 ₺1,379

139.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$7.93 ₺397

41.36%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.50 ₺175

16.57%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.32 ₺66.3

109.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.34 ₺17.07

58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$2.94 ₺147

93.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.99 ₺200

56.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.93 ₺46.46

97.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.95 ₺47.48

50.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.13 ₺107

25.35%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.88 ₺93.9

163.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$7.80 ₺390

93.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.45 ₺173

218.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$18.60 ₺931

6.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.85 ₺92.7

14.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.64 ₺82.3

20.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.99 ₺49.35

34.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.98 ₺49.11

120.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.45 ₺22.48

135.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.30 ₺15.22

283.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.72 ₺36.27

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.75 ₺37.37

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.23 ₺112

144.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$11.32 ₺567

-11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.01 ₺100

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.03 ₺152

-21.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.71 ₺35.54

90.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$39.40 ₺1,971

-22.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.12 ₺56.1

240.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.13 ₺56.5

-8.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$4.00 ₺200

312.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.31 ₺65.6

78.63%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$39.8K ₺2.0M

-30.17%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$40.4K ₺2.0M

-34.09%

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

$202 €180

$44.52 ₺2,228

354.22%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$12.10 ₺605

121.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$14.95 ₺748

103.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$59.2 ₺2,961

-8.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$29.92 ₺1,497

-8.42%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$4.04 ₺202

158.42%

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

$568 €506

$589 ₺29.5K

-3.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$12.0K ₺599.3K

26.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$23.59 ₺1,180

284.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$16.28 ₺815

141.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$70.8 ₺3,544

48.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$40.30 ₺2,017

220.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$401 ₺20.1K

85.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$325 ₺16.2K

99.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$827 ₺41.4K

53.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$574 ₺28.7K

95.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,006 ₺50.4K

297.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$806 ₺40.3K

307.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,297 ₺64.9K

-3.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

39.8

-88.84%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Balikesir: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Balikesir

$325 34.4% 49.9% $324

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Balikesir

$212 22.5% 33% $104

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Balikesir

$150 15.9% 44.7% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Balikesir

$72 7.6% 72.4% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Balikesir

$68 7.2% 58.5% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Balikesir

$67 7.1% 10.3% $7.7

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Balikesir

$49 5.2% 9.2% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $401 in Balikesir. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balikesir pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $28 in Balikesir for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $212 per month, with Balikesir cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 Balikesir

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,196,170

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Balikesir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Balikesir wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Balikesir the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Athens. 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: $742 in Athens versus $401 in Balikesir. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Balikesir – a meal for two runs $28 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $942 in Balikesir – Balikesir is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Balikesir is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.