Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Brugge

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,161 in Brugge, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Brugge
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Brugge Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Brugge

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Brugge

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $2,161 in Brugge.

Athens $1,806
Brugge $2,161

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $3,114 in Brugge.

Athens $2,731
Brugge $3,114

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $4,067 in Brugge.

Athens $3,656
Brugge $4,067

Living in Athens costs roughly 16% less than in Brugge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Brugge 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$22.81 €20.36

-26.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$79.7 €71.1

-16.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$11.28 €10.06

-1.95%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$4.43 €3.95

-6.55%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.95 €2.63

-5.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.93 €2.61

-80.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$5.43 €4.85

3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$4.60 €4.10

18.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.21 €1.08

61.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.88 €1.68

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.02 €1.80

40.10%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.80 €3.39

32.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$11.45 €10.22

34.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$12.15 €10.85

-14.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$19.33 €17.25

-1.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.69 €2.40

-19.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.12 €1.90

-9.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.20 €1.96

-37.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.25 €2.01

-2.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.27 €2.03

-51.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.98 €0.87

15.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.53 €1.36

-28.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.95 €0.85

-12.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$13.02 €11.62

-56.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$7.36 €6.57

38.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.09 €0.97

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.99 €1.78

23.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.23 €2.89

-57.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$56.0 €49.99

-44.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$3.35 €2.99

30.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$2.53 €2.26

-58.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$25.12 €22.42

-31.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.97 €1.76

17.26%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$34.9K €31.2K

-19.85%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$34.3K €30.6K

-18.32%

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

$210 €187

$214 €191

-2.16%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$18.04 €16.10

48.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$53.0 €47.30

-43.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$42.07 €37.54

29.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$13.66 €12.19

90.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$14.87 €13.27

-27.51%

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

$575 €513

$606 €541

-5.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$4,952 €4,419

165.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$104 €93.0

-10.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$59.8 €53.4

-32.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$89.1 €79.6

16.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$254 €227

-49.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$939 €838

-19.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$831 €741

-21.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,324 €1,181

-2.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,188 €1,061

-2.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$2,666 €2,379

50.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$2,502 €2,233

37.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$2,551 €2,276

-51.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.52

27.27%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Brugge: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Brugge

$831 38.9% 27.3% $178

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Brugge

$304 14.2% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Brugge

$329 15.4% 22.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Brugge

$285 13.4% 7.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Brugge

$228 10.7% 38.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Brugge

$72 3.4% 5.7% $4.3

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Brugge

$85 4% 84.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $939 in Brugge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brugge pays 105% 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 $80.0 in Brugge. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $304, with Brugge cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇧🇪 Brugge

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

117,639

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Brugge 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Brugge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Brugge. 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 105% lower in Brugge. 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 $939 in Brugge. 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 $80.0 in Brugge. 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 $2,161 in Brugge – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,161 in Brugge, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Brugge. 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 Brugge 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 20% less than in Brugge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.