Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Cottbus

For one person, living is cheaper in Cottbus: $1,498 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Cottbus
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Cottbus Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Cottbus

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Cottbus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,498 in Cottbus.

Athens $1,759
Cottbus $1,498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $2,358 in Cottbus.

Athens $2,696
Cottbus $2,358

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $3,219 in Cottbus.

Athens $3,632
Cottbus $3,219

Living in Athens is roughly 17% more expensive than in Cottbus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Cottbus 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.32

$16.62 €14.93

2.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.2

$79.5 €71.5

-17.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$10.84 €9.74

1.11%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$2.45 €2.21

67.35%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.53 €2.28

11.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$3.10 €2.79

-80.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$2.77 €2.49

102.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$3.30 €2.96

71.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.25 €1.12

52.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.05 €1.85

-28.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$1.36 €1.23

99.26%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$3.43 €3.08

46.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.55

$13.40 €12.04

12.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$10.94 €9.83

-6.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.43

$19.09 €17.15

1.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$2.99 €2.69

-29.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.99 €1.79

-4.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.18 €1.96

-35.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$3.64 €3.27

-41.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$1.36 €1.22

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.23 €1.11

-8.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.46 €1.31

-22.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.95 €0.85

-14.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$9.36 €8.41

-41.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.98

$5.72 €5.14

74.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.11 €0.99

83.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.58 €1.42

44.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$3.00 €2.70

-56.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.56

$49.88 €44.82

-38.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$3.96 €3.55

10.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.93 €1.74

-46.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$26.31 €23.64

-35.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.11

$1.92 €1.73

21.87%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$32.5K €29.2K

-13.11%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$38.4K €34.5K

-30.28%

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

$200 €180

$170 €153

17.27%

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

$25.17 €22.62

$15.69 €14.09

60.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$43.77 €39.33

-32.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.32

$39.73 €35.70

26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

$16.85 €15.14

53.95%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.46

$13.63 €12.24

-22.82%

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

$576 €518

$274 €246

110.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$12.7K €11.4K

2.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$54.8 €49.25

63.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$28.43 €25.54

39.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$72.5 €65.1

45.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$72.6 €65.2

70.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$606 €545

22.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €578

$483 €434

33.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$1,163 €1,045

12.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$838 €753

33.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,604

$2,526 €2,270

58.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,951

$1,988 €1,786

65.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

$1,642 €1,475

-25.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.2

40.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cottbus: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Cottbus

$483 32.2% 24.9% $160

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Cottbus

$302 20.2% 3.2% $10

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Cottbus

$238 15.9% 12.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Cottbus

$230 15.4% 9.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Cottbus

$103 6.9% 36.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Cottbus

$67 4.5% 6.3% $4.5

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Cottbus

$76 5% 66.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $606 in Cottbus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cottbus pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $80 in Cottbus. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $302, with Cottbus cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇩🇪 Cottbus

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

101,036

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Athens Cottbus 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Cottbus

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 Cottbus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cottbus wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cottbus the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Athens. 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: $740 in Athens versus $606 in Cottbus. 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 $66 versus $80 in Cottbus. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,759 per month in Athens versus $1,498 in Cottbus – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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