Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $3,527 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Cham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $3,527 in Cham.

Athens $1,771
Cham $3,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $5,432 in Cham.

Athens $2,736
Cham $5,432

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $7,337 in Cham.

Athens $3,701
Cham $7,337

Living in Athens costs roughly 50% less than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Cham 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$30.40 CHF 25.04

-44.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$122 CHF 101

-44.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$18.19 CHF 14.98

-37.16%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$6.17 CHF 5.09

-34.20%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$5.52 CHF 4.55

-50.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-88.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$8.62 CHF 7.10

-33.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$6.60 CHF 5.44

-13.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-13.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.80 CHF 3.13

-62.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.86 CHF 3.18

-26.94%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$7.26 CHF 5.98

-33.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$26.70 CHF 21.99

-42.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$28.37 CHF 23.37

-63.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$42.48 CHF 34.98

-55.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$4.22 CHF 3.48

-47.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-9.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-57.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-55.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.42 CHF 1.99

-56.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-45.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.46 CHF 2.03

-56.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.16 CHF 0.95

-27.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$10.98 CHF 9.05

-50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$12.73 CHF 10.48

-20.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.78 CHF 2.29

-23.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-27.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-72.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$149 CHF 122

-80.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$5.29 CHF 4.36

-17.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$3.40 CHF 2.80

-70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-73.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.32 CHF 1.91

2.59%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-27.23%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-30.31%

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

$203 €181

$279 CHF 230

-27.09%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$30.94 CHF 25.48

-13.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$55.9 CHF 46.04

-46.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$90.5 CHF 74.5

-40.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$49.67 CHF 40.90

-46.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$25.71 CHF 21.18

-58.81%

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

$566 €504

$1,791 CHF 1,475

-68.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

-60.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$143 CHF 118

-37.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$58.7 CHF 48.31

-30.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$168 CHF 138

-38.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$253 CHF 208

-50.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$1,739 CHF 1,432

-58.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$1,475 CHF 1,214

-56.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$2,977 CHF 2,452

-55.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$2,600 CHF 2,142

-55.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$16.9K CHF 13.9K

-76.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$13.3K CHF 10.9K

-73.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.07

116.43%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Cham

$1.5K 41.8% 128% $827

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Cham

$604 17.1% 93.3% $292

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Cham

$470 13.3% 73.5% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Cham

$366 10.4% 40.5% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Cham

$280 7.9% 74% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Cham

$142 4% 89.6% $67

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Cham

$191 5.4% 328% $146

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $1,739 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $122 in Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $604 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

20:25 8:25 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

17,060

💱 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 Cham 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Cham

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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 99% lower than in Cham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,657 in Athens and $5,290 in Cham to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Athens versus $1,739 in Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $122 in Cham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $3,527 in Cham – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $3,527 in Cham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Cham. 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 Cham 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 99% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.