Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Buchs

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $3,009 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Buchs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $3,009 in Buchs.

Athens $1,771
Buchs $3,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $4,535 in Buchs.

Athens $2,736
Buchs $4,535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $6,062 in Buchs.

Athens $3,701
Buchs $6,062

Living in Athens costs roughly 41% less than in Buchs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Buchs 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$23.43 CHF 19.30

-28.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$84.3 CHF 69.4

-19.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$15.36 CHF 12.65

-25.59%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$4.71 CHF 3.88

-13.80%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$3.77 CHF 3.10

-27.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$3.20 CHF 2.63

-83.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$6.13 CHF 5.04

-7.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$5.39 CHF 4.44

5.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-7.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-63.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$4.64 CHF 3.82

-39.22%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$7.32 CHF 6.03

-33.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$32.21 CHF 26.53

-52.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$18.51 CHF 15.24

-44.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$32.47 CHF 26.74

-41.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$3.53 CHF 2.91

-37.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-10.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-55.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$6.70 CHF 5.52

-69.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-41.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.54 CHF 2.10

-53.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-55.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.21 CHF 1.00

-30.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$10.84 CHF 8.92

-49.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$12.70 CHF 10.46

-19.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-35.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.91 CHF 3.22

-41.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$5.17 CHF 4.25

-73.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$5.36 CHF 4.42

-18.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$3.46 CHF 2.85

-71.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$61.2 CHF 50.4

-72.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.23 CHF 1.83

6.73%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

-33.24%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-31.22%

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

$203 €181

$184 CHF 152

10.31%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$31.24 CHF 25.73

-14.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$67.2 CHF 55.4

-55.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$15.20 CHF 12.52

-30.33%

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

$566 €504

$611 CHF 503

-7.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

-37.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$107 CHF 88.0

-16.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$23.70 CHF 19.52

70.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$95.2 CHF 78.4

9.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$170 CHF 140

-26.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$1,828 CHF 1,505

-60.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$1,561 CHF 1,285

-58.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$2,690 CHF 2,216

-50.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$2,746 CHF 2,261

-57.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$8,480 CHF 6,984

-85.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

1.93

132.12%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9% 141% $913

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Buchs

$555 18.4% 77.6% $242

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Buchs

$359 11.9% 32.8% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Buchs

$283 9.4% 8.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Buchs

$178 5.9% 10.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Buchs

$30 * 1% 59.4% $44

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Buchs

$43 * 1.4% 2.8% $1.3

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 $729 in Athens and $1,828 in Buchs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 584% 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 $84.0 in Buchs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $555 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Buchs

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

23:06 11:06 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

12,187

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Buchs 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 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 Buchs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Buchs. 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 584% lower in Buchs. 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: $729 in Athens versus $1,828 in Buchs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $566 in Athens versus $611 in Buchs. 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 $84.0 in Buchs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $3,009 in Buchs, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Buchs. 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 $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Buchs 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 70% less than in Buchs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.