Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Caen

For one person, living is cheaper in Caen: $1,669 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Caen
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Caen Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Caen

🇫🇷 France

$1,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Caen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,669 in Caen.

Athens $1,775
Caen $1,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,558 in Caen.

Athens $2,721
Caen $2,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,447 in Caen.

Athens $3,666
Caen $3,447

Living in Athens is roughly 6% more expensive than in Caen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Caen 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.49 €14.67

1.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$55.1 €49.04

22.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$13.17 €11.72

-15.41%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.82 €2.51

42.91%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.10 €2.76

-10.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.14 €1.90

-74.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$8.56 €7.61

-32.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.73 €5.10

-4.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.32 €1.18

37.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.78 €1.58

-22.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.94 €1.72

44.33%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.75 €3.33

28.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.04 €8.93

49.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$11.49 €10.22

-7.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$15.98 €14.21

15.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.97 €2.64

-25.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$3.08 €2.74

-38.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.44 €1.28

-4.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.25 €3.78

-50.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.78 €1.58

-39.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.95 €1.74

-42.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.63 €1.45

-31.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.13 €0.11

576.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$12.58 €11.19

-56.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.67 €5.04

78.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.42 €1.26

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.59 €1.42

41.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.75 €1.56

-22.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$48.77 €43.38

-38.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$2.30 €2.04

93.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.11 €0.99

-8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$32.86 €29.23

-48.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.15 €1.91

4.65%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$34.6K €30.8K

-18.94%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$32.1K €28.6K

-12.16%

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

$205 €182

$138 €123

48.36%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$32.99 €29.34

-19.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$31.71 €28.20

-4.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$32.67 €29.06

66.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$22.06 €19.62

17.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.98 €7.98

16.04%

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

$569 €506

$903 €803

-36.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$107 €95.5

-17.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$38.27 €34.04

5.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$102 €90.3

3.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$148 €132

-18.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$769 €684

-3.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$605 €539

8.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,501 €1,335

-13.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,041 €926

10.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$4,428 €3,939

-9.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,484 €2,210

39.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$2,373 €2,111

-47.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.79

18.21%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Caen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Caen

$606 36.3% 7.5% $49

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Caen

$289 17.3% 7% $22

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Caen

$281 16.8% 4.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Caen

$203 12.1% 22.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Caen

$178 10.7% 11.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Caen

$51 3% 32.8% $25

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Caen

$64 3.8% 41.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $769 in Caen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caen pays 91% 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 Caen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $289 per month, with Caen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇫🇷 Caen

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

108,200

💱 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 Caen 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Caen

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 Caen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caen wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Caen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 91% lower in Caen. 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 $769 in Caen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Caen – 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 $1,669 in Caen – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,669 in Caen versus $1,775 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Caen but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Caen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Caen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,669 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Caen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Caen 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 Caen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.