Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bedford

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,097 in Bedford, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bedford outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Bedford
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Bedford Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Bedford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bedford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,097 in Bedford.

Athens $1,775
Bedford $2,097

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,291 in Bedford.

Athens $2,721
Bedford $3,291

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,486 in Bedford.

Athens $3,666
Bedford $4,486

Living in Athens costs roughly 15% less than in Bedford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Bedford 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$20.10 £15.08

-16.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$86.6 £65.0

-21.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.65 £7.99

4.60%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.59 £3.44

-12.20%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.03 £1.52

36.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.21 £0.91

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$6.45 £4.84

-11.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.84 £4.38

-6.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.70 £1.28

7.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.46 £1.10

-5.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.68 £1.26

66.67%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.80 £2.85

27.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$9.09 £6.82

65.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.96 £6.72

18.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$12.62 £9.47

46.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.26 £2.44

-32.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.30 £0.98

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.47 £1.85

-44.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.20 £2.40

-34.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.32 £0.99

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.32 £0.99

-15.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.03 £0.77

8.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.30 £0.97

-32.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$23.05 £17.29

-76.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$10.65 £7.99

-4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.58 £1.94

-17.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.36 £1.77

-4.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.56 £1.92

-46.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.99 £3.74

-10.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.43 £1.07

-28.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$23.92 £17.95

-29.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.92 £1.44

17.19%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$37.5K £28.1K

-25.18%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$40.5K £30.4K

-30.33%

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

$205 €182

$316 £237

-35.27%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$17.63 £13.22

51.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$39.85 £29.90

-23.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$36.86 £27.66

47.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$15.90 £11.93

-34.47%

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

$569 €506

$937 £703

-39.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$21.6K £16.2K

-41.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$23.92 £17.95

270.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$25.54 £19.16

58.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$79.6 £59.7

31.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$86.7 £65.1

39.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,115 £837

-33.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$952 £714

-31.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,353 £1,766

-44.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,998 £1,499

-42.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,170 £2,378

-60.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.67

-4.07%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bedford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Bedford

$952 45.4% 45.4% $297

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Bedford

$279 13.3% 10.2% $32

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Bedford

$305 14.5% 13.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Bedford

$374 17.8% 42.8% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Bedford

$97 4.6% 39.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Bedford

$69 3.3% 8.8% $6.7

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Bedford

$22 * 1.1% 50.1% $23

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 $741 in Athens and $1,115 in Bedford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bedford pays 155% 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $87.0 in Bedford. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $279, with Bedford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇧 Bedford

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

80,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Bedford 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Bedford

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 Bedford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Bedford. 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 155% lower in Bedford. 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: $741 in Athens versus $1,115 in Bedford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $937 in Bedford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $87.0 in Bedford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,097 in Bedford, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Bedford. 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 $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Bedford 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 18% less than in Bedford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.