Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Cortona

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Cortona: $1,775 and $1,782 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Cortona
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Cortona Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Cortona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Cortona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,782 in Cortona.

Athens $1,775
Cortona $1,782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,699 in Cortona.

Athens $2,721
Cortona $2,699

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,616 in Cortona.

Athens $3,666
Cortona $3,616

Monthly costs are close between Athens and Cortona; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Cortona 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$19.97 €17.76

-16.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$80.3 €71.4

-15.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.47 €10.21

-2.88%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.99 €1.77

102.51%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.37 €3.00

-17.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.41 €1.26

-60.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$6.61 €5.88

-13.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.37 €3.89

24.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.70 €1.51

7.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.20 €1.96

-37.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.11 €2.77

-9.97%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$5.20 €4.62

-7.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$27.98 €24.89

-46.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$16.13 €14.34

-34.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$24.34 €21.65

-24.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.97 €2.64

-25.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.16 €1.92

-12.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.29 €2.93

-58.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.25 €2.89

-35.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$3.12 €2.78

-65.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.17 €1.93

-48.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.88 €1.68

-40.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.83 €0.74

6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$7.66 €6.81

-28.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$8.55 €7.61

18.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.59 €2.30

-17.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$4.07 €3.62

-44.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.55 €4.94

-19.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.21 €1.97

-53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$11.50 €10.23

47.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.09 €1.86

7.66%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.5K €32.4K

-23.12%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$35.3K €31.4K

-20.03%

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

$205 €182

$339 €301

-39.59%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$12.19 €10.84

118.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$42.74 €38.02

-28.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$28.43 €25.29

91.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$11.22 €9.98

130.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.78 €9.59

-3.34%

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

$569 €506

$634 €564

-10.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$8,834 €7,858

42.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$99.7 €88.7

-11.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$75.8 €67.4

-46.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$87.6 €78.0

19.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$194 €172

-37.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$839 €746

-11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$401 €357

63.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,487 €1,323

-12.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$613 €546

87.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,234 €1,987

79.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,788 €2,480

24.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,170 €2,820

-60.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.7

21.08%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cortona: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Cortona

$401 22.5% 38.7% $253

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Cortona

$436 24.5% 40.6% $126

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Cortona

$279 15.7% 4.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Cortona

$394 22.1% 50.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Cortona

$206 11.5% 28.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Cortona

$50 2.8% 33.7% $25

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Cortona

$17 * 0.9% 63% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $839 in Cortona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cortona pays 155% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $80.0 in Cortona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $436 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇹 Cortona

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

01:31 1:31 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

22,450

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Cortona 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Cortona

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 Cortona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 155% lower in Cortona. 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 $839 in Cortona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Cortona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $80.0 in Cortona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,782 in Cortona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Cortona. 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 $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Cortona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Athens wins on affordability, Cortona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.