Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Centurion

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,377 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,377

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Centurion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,377 in Centurion.

Athens $1,775
Centurion $1,377

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,224 in Centurion.

Athens $2,721
Centurion $2,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,071 in Centurion.

Athens $3,666
Centurion $3,071

Living in Athens is roughly 29% more expensive than in Centurion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Centurion 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$22.13 R 365

-24.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$40.73 R 671

66.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.76 R 95.0

93.40%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.57 R 42.33

56.81%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.94 R 15.52

194.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.87 R 14.35

-36.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.10 R 34.57

173.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.45 R 40.42

122.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.23 R 20.27

47.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.22 R 20.11

13.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.17 R 35.83

29.03%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.07 R 50.6

57.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$9.79 R 161

53.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$6.92 R 114

53.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$7.29 R 120

152.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.82 R 29.92

20.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.80 R 29.64

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.12 R 34.88

-35.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.08 R 34.20

0.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.52 R 24.98

-28.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.85 R 30.44

-39.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.35 R 22.24

-17.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.46 R 23.99

-39.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.77 R 62.1

45.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.90 R 97.1

71.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.59 R 26.20

33.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.02 R 33.27

11.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.47 R 40.75

-44.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$97.9 R 1,613

-69.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.22 R 20.14

264.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.23 R 20.20

-17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$8.89 R 146

90.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.50 R 24.75

50.00%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.9K R 591.7K

-21.95%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$32.1K R 528.7K

-12.03%

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

$205 €182

$137 R 2,260

49.11%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$30.65 R 505

-13.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$40.07 R 660

-24.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$43.79 R 721

24.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.73 R 177

-2.89%

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

$569 €506

$314 R 5,174

81.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$4,299 R 70.8K

192.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$58.5 R 965

51.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$43.75 R 721

-7.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$117 R 1,925

-10.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$103 R 1,699

17.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$345 R 5,689

114.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$371 R 6,115

76.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$575 R 9,479

125.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$896 R 14.8K

28.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$518 R 8,536

674.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$612 R 10.1K

465.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$2,342 R 38.6K

-46.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.5

-57.33%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Centurion: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Centurion

$371 27% 43.3% $283

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Centurion

$225 16.3% 27.5% $85

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Centurion

$248 18% 7.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Centurion

$208 15.1% 20.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Centurion

$145 10.5% 9.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Centurion

$65 4.7% 13.4% $10

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Centurion

$115 8.4% 157% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $345 in Centurion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 88% 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 $41.00 in Centurion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $225 per month, with Centurion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Centurion

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

23:47 11:47 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

236,580

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Centurion 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Centurion

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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 Centurion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Centurion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Centurion. 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 $345 in Centurion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Centurion – a meal for two runs $41.00 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 $1,377 in Centurion – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,377 in Centurion versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Centurion but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Centurion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Centurion delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,377 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Centurion 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 Centurion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.