Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Cento

For one person, living is cheaper in Cento: $1,634 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Cento
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Cento Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Cento

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,634 in Cento.

Athens $1,775
Cento $1,634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,647 in Cento.

Athens $2,721
Cento $2,647

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,660 in Cento.

Athens $3,666
Cento $3,660

Living in Athens is roughly 9% more expensive than in Cento, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Cento 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$19.84 €17.65

-15.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$87.8 €78.1

-22.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$13.20 €11.74

-15.61%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.20 €1.96

83.18%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.36 €2.99

-17.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.55 €1.38

-64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$6.10 €5.42

-5.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.56 €4.95

-1.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.36 €1.21

33.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.85 €2.54

-51.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.57 €2.29

8.95%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.89 €3.46

24.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$18.10 €16.10

-16.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$12.11 €10.77

-12.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$17.33 €15.42

6.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.16 €1.92

1.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.70 €1.52

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.88 €1.68

-27.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.47 €2.20

-14.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.32 €1.17

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.36 €1.21

-17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.70 €1.51

-34.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.56 €0.50

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.79 €6.04

-19.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$8.02 €7.13

26.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.60 €1.43

33.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.87 €1.66

20.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.65 €1.47

-17.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$44.56 €39.63

-32.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.55 €4.05

-2.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.42 €1.27

-28.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$27.64 €24.59

-38.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.03 €1.81

10.84%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.8K €32.7K

-23.83%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$35.6K €31.7K

-20.75%

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

$205 €182

$234 €208

-12.45%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$11.00 €9.78

142.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$27.90 €24.82

8.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$56.9 €50.6

-4.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$23.47 €20.87

10.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.89 €8.80

5.36%

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

$569 €506

$547 €487

3.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$4,422 €3,933

184.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$88.6 €78.8

0.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$42.28 €37.61

-4.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$95.9 €85.3

9.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$150 €134

-19.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$533 €474

38.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$443 €394

47.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,047 €932

24.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$918 €817

24.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,197 €2,844

25.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,863 €1,657

85.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,766 €1,571

-29.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.19

40.44%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cento: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Cento

$443 27.1% 32.4% $212

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Cento

$324 19.8% 4.3% $13

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Cento

$286 17.5% 6.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Cento

$273 16.7% 4.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Cento

$170 10.4% 6.1% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Cento

$77 4.7% 1.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Cento

$63 3.9% 40% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $533 in Cento. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cento pays 42% 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 $88.0 in Cento for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $324 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇹 Cento

🕒 Local time

17:58 5:58 PM

16:58 4:58 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

35,582

💱 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 Cento 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Cento

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 Cento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cento wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cento the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Cento. 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 $533 in Cento. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cento – a meal for two runs $88.0 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 $1,634 in Cento – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,634 in Cento versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cento but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Cento the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cento delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,634 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cento hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Cento 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 Cento gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.