Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bissau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $837 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bissau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $837 in Bissau.

Athens $1,806
Bissau $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,352 in Bissau.

Athens $2,731
Bissau $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,868 in Bissau.

Athens $3,656
Bissau $1,868

Living in Athens is roughly 116% more expensive than in Bissau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Bissau is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$5.33 F CFA 3,120

212.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$25.69 F CFA 15.0K

157.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$9.50 F CFA 5,560

16.42%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

136.57%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.03 F CFA 600

171.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.83 F CFA 487

-31.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$0.71 F CFA 413

694.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.70 F CFA 992

15.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.00 F CFA 587

41.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.02 F CFA 1,184

40.10%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$5.29 F CFA 3,093

-4.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$14.63 F CFA 8,561

4.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$13.73 F CFA 8,033

-24.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$14.00 F CFA 8,193

35.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$4.46 F CFA 2,608

-51.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.06 F CFA 622

80.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$4.37 F CFA 2,558

-68.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.15 F CFA 85.3

1366.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.42 F CFA 829

-22.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.42 F CFA 830

-20.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.29 F CFA 753

-35.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$6.94 F CFA 4,062

46.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.28 F CFA 749

70.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$0.85 F CFA 499

188.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.50 F CFA 294

176.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$25.49 F CFA 14.9K

21.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.48 F CFA 868

56.08%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$31.7K F CFA 18.6M

-11.78%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

-3.18%

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

$210 €187

$105 F CFA 61.5K

99.44%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$34.41 F CFA 20.1K

-22.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$45.15 F CFA 26.4K

-33.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$43.73 F CFA 25.6K

24.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

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

$575 €513

$759 F CFA 444.1K

-24.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$2,319 F CFA 1.4M

465.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$528 F CFA 309.1K

43.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$171 F CFA 100.1K

281.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$867 F CFA 507.3K

49.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$429 F CFA 250.8K

171.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,029 F CFA 601.9K

20.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bissau: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Bissau

–

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Bissau

–

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Bissau

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Bissau

–

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Bissau

–

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Bissau

–

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Bissau

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $528 in Bissau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 21% 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 $26.00 in Bissau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $302 per month, with Bissau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇼 Bissau

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

3 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

395,954 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Bissau 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Bissau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bissau wins on cost – living expenses run 116% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bissau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $528 in Bissau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bissau – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. 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 $837 in Bissau – a 116% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $837 in Bissau versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bissau delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $837 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bissau hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Bissau 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 Bissau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.