Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $3,548 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 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
170

Cost of Living Index in Basel
Learn more

Basel Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Basel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $3,548 in Basel.

Athens $1,806
Basel $3,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $5,573 in Basel.

Athens $2,731
Basel $5,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $7,599 in Basel.

Athens $3,656
Basel $7,599

Living in Athens costs roughly 49% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Basel 165% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$30.00 CHF 24.90

-44.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$125 CHF 104

-47.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$18.03 CHF 14.97

-38.66%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$6.54 CHF 5.43

-36.70%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$6.48 CHF 5.38

-56.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$5.77 CHF 4.79

-90.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$9.22 CHF 7.65

-38.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$9.42 CHF 7.82

-42.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-10.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.09 CHF 2.56

-54.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$3.34 CHF 2.77

-15.27%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$7.70 CHF 6.39

-34.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$26.14 CHF 21.69

-41.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$27.34 CHF 22.69

-62.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$41.29 CHF 34.27

-54.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.63 CHF 3.01

-40.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.27 CHF 1.88

-15.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.03 CHF 2.52

-54.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.70 CHF 3.90

-53.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.75 CHF 1.45

-37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.98 CHF 1.64

-42.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.17 CHF 1.80

-49.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.61 CHF 1.34

-48.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$11.41 CHF 9.47

-50.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$12.15 CHF 10.09

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.45 CHF 2.03

-11.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.98 CHF 2.47

-17.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$4.82 CHF 4.00

-71.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$103 CHF 85.3

-69.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$7.68 CHF 6.38

-43.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$4.70 CHF 3.90

-77.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$82.9 CHF 68.8

-79.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.31 CHF 1.92

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$42.0K CHF 34.9K

-33.36%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$39.3K CHF 32.6K

-28.73%

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

$210 €187

$286 CHF 237

-26.67%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$46.01 CHF 38.19

-41.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$63.0 CHF 52.3

-52.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$83.2 CHF 69.0

-34.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$57.2 CHF 47.45

-54.47%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$22.81 CHF 18.93

-52.74%

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

$575 €513

$2,915 CHF 2,419

-80.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$32.5K CHF 27.0K

-59.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$147 CHF 122

-36.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$79.8 CHF 66.3

-49.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$164 CHF 136

-36.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$197 CHF 164

-35.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,943 CHF 1,613

-61.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$1,503 CHF 1,248

-56.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$3,544 CHF 2,941

-63.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$2,822 CHF 2,342

-58.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$18.3K CHF 15.2K

-78.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$14.4K CHF 11.9K

-76.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$6,904 CHF 5,730

-81.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.42

85.12%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Basel

$1.5K 42.8% 131% $851

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Basel

$583 16.6% 85.3% $268

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Basel

$487 13.8% 81% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Basel

$395 11.2% 48.2% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Basel

$265 7.5% 60.8% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Basel

$129 3.7% 69.1% $53

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Basel

$153 4.4% 234% $107

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,943 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 455% 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 $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $583 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

174,491

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Basel 1,690 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 Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 455% lower in Basel. 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 $1,943 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $3,548 in Basel – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $3,548 in Basel, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Basel 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 96% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.