Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bursa

For one person, living is cheaper in Bursa: $1,130 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Bursa
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Bursa Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Bursa

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bursa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,130 in Bursa.

Athens $1,779
Bursa $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,739 in Bursa.

Athens $2,721
Bursa $1,739

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,348 in Bursa.

Athens $3,663
Bursa $2,348

Living in Athens is roughly 57% more expensive than in Bursa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Bursa is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$8.59 ₺431

95.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$32.67 ₺1,639

102.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$7.77 ₺390

44.27%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.80 ₺190

7.37%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.04 ₺52.2

166.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.37 ₺18.65

45.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.46 ₺124

131.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.93 ₺147

113.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.00 ₺50.1

84.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.80 ₺40.11

78.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.32 ₺116

15.09%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.58 ₺129

91.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$10.59 ₺531

42.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.90 ₺246

124.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$19.83 ₺995

-0.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.77 ₺88.9

19.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.86 ₺93.3

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.02 ₺51.1

30.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.25 ₺62.9

72.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.57 ₺28.82

85.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.38 ₺19.22

202.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.84 ₺41.92

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.72 ₺36.14

18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.03 ₺102

168.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$14.05 ₺704

-28.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.01 ₺101

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.35 ₺118

1.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.83 ₺41.58

62.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$50.1 ₺2,511

-39.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.31 ₺65.8

190.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.08 ₺54.3

-4.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$8.75 ₺439

88.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.39 ₺70.0

68.35%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$47.5K ₺2.4M

-41.52%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$40.2K ₺2.0M

-33.85%

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

$202 €180

$74.9 ₺3,758

169.88%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$10.93 ₺548

145.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$14.67 ₺736

107.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$70.4 ₺3,530

-23.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$21.51 ₺1,079

27.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.92 ₺297

76.35%

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

$568 €505

$593 ₺29.8K

-4.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$10.8K ₺543.3K

40.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$46.49 ₺2,332

94.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$42.50 ₺2,131

-7.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$79.6 ₺3,993

32.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$96.8 ₺4,854

33.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$398 ₺20.0K

86.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$366 ₺18.3K

77.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$759 ₺38.0K

67.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$624 ₺31.3K

79.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,207 ₺60.5K

231.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,228 ₺61.6K

167.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,024 ₺51.3K

21.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

42.67

-89.59%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bursa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Bursa

$366 32.4% 43.6% $283

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Bursa

$241 21.3% 23.8% $75

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Bursa

$161 14.3% 40.6% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Bursa

$101 8.9% 61.3% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Bursa

$119 10.6% 27.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Bursa

$82 7.3% 9.7% $7.3

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Bursa

$60 5.3% 33.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $398 in Bursa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 22% 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 in Athens vs $33 in Bursa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $241 per month, with Bursa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 Bursa

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

3,238,618

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Bursa 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 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 Bursa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bursa wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bursa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% 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: $742 in Athens versus $398 in Bursa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bursa – a meal for two runs $33 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,130 in Bursa – Bursa is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,130 in Bursa versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bursa but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Bursa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Bursa wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.