Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Chania

For one person, living is cheaper in Chania: $1,577 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Chania
Learn more

Chania Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Chania

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,577

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Chania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,577 in Chania.

Athens $1,775
Chania $1,577

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,506 in Chania.

Athens $2,721
Chania $2,506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,435 in Chania.

Athens $3,666
Chania $3,435

Living in Athens is roughly 13% more expensive than in Chania, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Chania 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$17.01 €15.13

-1.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$55.6 €49.44

21.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.94 €9.73

1.83%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.85 €3.42

4.68%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.21 €1.97

25.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.77 €0.68

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$4.44 €3.95

29.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.84 €4.30

12.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.81 €1.61

0.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.42 €1.26

-2.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.44 €3.06

-18.60%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.46 €3.97

8.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$17.37 €15.45

-13.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$9.65 €8.59

10.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.85 €13.21

24.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.14 €1.90

-11.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.31 €1.16

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.79 €1.59

17.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.36 €1.21

-20.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.02 €0.90

9.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.20 €1.06

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.80 €0.71

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.43 €4.83

0.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$8.78 €7.81

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.61 €2.32

-18.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.55 €2.26

-11.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.25 €2.01

-39.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$45.45 €40.43

-34.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.89 €3.46

14.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.39 €2.12

-57.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$16.65 €14.81

1.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.08 €1.85

8.17%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

-16.82%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$24.2K €21.5K

16.67%

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

$205 €182

$151 €135

35.09%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$21.70 €19.30

22.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$32.44 €28.86

-6.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$57.3 €51.0

-4.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$56.2 €50.0

-53.97%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.71 €7.75

19.63%

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

$569 €506

$465 €414

22.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$6,624 €5,892

89.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$75.8 €67.5

16.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$30.52 €27.15

32.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$105 €93.7

-0.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$127 €113

-4.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$618 €549

19.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$513 €456

27.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,171 €1,041

11.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,013 €901

13.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,633 €3,231

10.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,335 €2,966

3.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,294 €1,151

-4.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.53

-1.10%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chania: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Chania

$513 32.5% 21.7% $142

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Chania

$303 19.2% 2.4% $7.4

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Chania

$259 16.4% 3.5% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Chania

$206 13% 21.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Chania

$152 9.7% 4.8% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Chania

$75 4.7% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Chania

$70 4.5% 56.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $618 in Chania. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chania pays 4% 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 $56.0 in Chania for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $303 per month, with Chania cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Chania

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

53,910

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Chania 280 km

From you

Athens
Chania

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 Chania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chania wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chania the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Chania. 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 $618 in Chania. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chania – a meal for two runs $56.0 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 $1,577 in Chania – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,577 in Chania versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Chania but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Chania the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chania delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,577 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chania hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Chania 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 Chania gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.