Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Besancon

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Besancon: $1,775 and $1,755 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Besancon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,755 in Besancon.

Athens $1,775
Besancon $1,755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,536 in Besancon.

Athens $2,721
Besancon $2,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,318 in Besancon.

Athens $3,666
Besancon $3,318

Living in Athens is roughly 1% more expensive than in Besancon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Besancon 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.88

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.4

$55.2 €49.17

22.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.93

$10.94 €9.76

1.83%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.59

$3.03 €2.70

33.00%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$2.36 €2.10

17.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.55 €1.38

-64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.11

$6.58 €5.87

-12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.86

$5.56 €4.95

-1.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.28 €1.14

42.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.71 €1.52

-19.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.14 €1.91

30.84%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$4.41 €3.93

9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.42

$19.97 €17.80

-24.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.47

$10.95 €9.77

-2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.43

$17.89 €15.95

3.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.65 €2.36

-16.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.26 €2.01

-15.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.72 €2.43

-49.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.46 €2.19

-14.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.54 €2.27

-57.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.42 €2.16

-53.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.43 €1.27

-21.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.17 €1.04

-24.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.89

$13.78 €12.29

-60.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.03

$9.39 €8.37

7.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$4.85 €4.32

-56.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$3.25 €2.90

-30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.68 €1.50

-19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.65

$44.17 €39.38

-32.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.97

$3.04 €2.71

46.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.91

$2.12 €1.89

-51.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.09

$30.05 €26.79

-43.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.13 €1.90

5.63%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$34.4K €30.7K

-18.54%

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

$28.2K €25.2K

$34.3K €30.6K

-17.65%

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

$205 €182

$225 €200

-8.89%

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

$26.65 €23.76

$14.65 €13.06

81.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.09

$34.19 €30.49

-11.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.58

$26.44 €23.57

106.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.07

$19.68 €17.54

31.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.29

$11.32 €10.10

-7.95%

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

$569 €507

$339 €302

68.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$7,309 €6,517

72.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €79.1

$99.0 €88.3

-10.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €36.08

$38.58 €34.40

4.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

$93.0 €82.9

12.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$124 €110

-1.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €661

$635 €566

16.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €584

$590 €526

10.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,159

$991 €884

31.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,023

$803 €716

42.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,579

$2,822 €2,516

42.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,085

$2,245 €2,001

54.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,108

$2,181 €1,945

-43.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.62

23.76%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Besancon: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Besancon

$590 33.6% 9.8% $64

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Besancon

$356 20.3% 14.7% $46

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Besancon

$262 15% 2.1% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Besancon

$273 15.6% 4.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Besancon

$159 9.1% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Besancon

$49 2.8% 34.8% $26

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Besancon

$65 3.7% 43.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $635 in Besancon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 76% 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 $55.0 in Besancon. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $356, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇫🇷 Besancon

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

119,198

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Besancon 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 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 Besancon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Besancon wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Besancon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Besancon. 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 $635 in Besancon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Besancon – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,755 in Besancon – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,755 in Besancon versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Besancon but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Besancon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Besancon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,755 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Besancon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Besancon 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 Besancon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.