Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Benoni

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,072 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
Learn more

Benoni Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Benoni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,072 in Benoni.

Athens $1,775
Benoni $1,072

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,331 in Benoni.

Athens $2,721
Benoni $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,589 in Benoni.

Athens $3,666
Benoni $1,589

Living in Athens is roughly 66% more expensive than in Benoni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Benoni is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.19 R 168

63.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$37.46 R 617

80.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.86 R 96.5

90.10%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.22 R 36.61

81.53%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.19 R 19.64

132.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.85 R 14.00

-35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.33 R 38.33

146.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.74 R 45.15

98.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.22 R 20.16

49.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.13 R 18.65

22.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.72 R 28.33

62.79%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.46 R 40.48

96.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.31 R 137

81.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$4.86 R 80.1

118.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$7.12 R 117

158.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.73 R 28.55

27.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.63 R 26.81

16.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.80 R 29.58

-23.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.56 R 25.70

34.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.12 R 18.39

-3.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.22 R 20.10

-8.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.23 R 20.29

-8.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.27 R 20.97

-30.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.37 R 55.5

62.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.09 R 83.8

99.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.51 R 24.94

41.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.95 R 32.14

15.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.29 R 4.72

1434.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.89 R 14.67

14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$14.73 R 243

14.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.54 R 25.41

46.10%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.1K R 578.8K

-20.20%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$32.5K R 534.9K

-13.06%

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

$205 €182

$203 R 3,342

0.86%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$38.42 R 633

-30.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$36.63 R 604

-17.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$18.06 R 297

201.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.10 R 117

46.76%

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

$569 €506

$246 R 4,051

131.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,577 R 91.9K

125.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$53.5 R 882

65.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$32.40 R 534

24.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$91.9 R 1,515

14.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$84.8 R 1,397

43.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$398 R 6,557

86.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$296 R 4,881

120.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$487 R 8,029

166.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

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

$2,041 R 33.6K

-39.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.91

-58.94%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Benoni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Benoni

$296 27.6% 54.7% $358

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Benoni

$192 17.9% 38.2% $119

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Benoni

$151 14.1% 43.6% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Benoni

$278 25.9% 6.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Benoni

$118 11% 26.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Benoni

$32 3% 57.2% $43

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Benoni

$4.7 * 0.4% 89.4% $40

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 $398 in Benoni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 64% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $37.00 in Benoni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $192 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Benoni

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

158,777

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Benoni 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Benoni

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 Benoni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benoni wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Benoni the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Benoni. 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 $398 in Benoni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $246 in Benoni. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Benoni – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,072 in Benoni versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benoni but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Benoni the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Benoni delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,072 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Benoni hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Benoni 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 Benoni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.