Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Crema

For one person, living is cheaper in Crema: $1,504 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Crema
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Crema Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Crema

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Crema

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,504 in Crema.

Athens $1,775
Crema $1,504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,039 in Crema.

Athens $2,721
Crema $2,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,575 in Crema.

Athens $3,666
Crema $2,575

Living in Athens is roughly 18% more expensive than in Crema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Crema 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.95 €15.07

-1.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$55.0 €48.88

23.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.95 €9.74

1.74%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.79 €1.59

125.14%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.01 €2.68

-7.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.34 €1.19

-58.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.42 €4.82

5.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.17 €5.49

-11.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.13 €1.01

61.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.78 €1.58

-22.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.86 €2.55

-2.10%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.99 €2.66

61.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$12.30 €10.94

22.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.89 €7.91

19.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.78 €13.14

24.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.25 €2.00

-2.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.43 €1.27

32.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.49 €1.33

-8.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.27 €2.02

-7.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.35 €1.20

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.60 €1.42

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.31 €1.16

-14.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.37 €0.33

137.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.54 €5.82

-16.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.57 €4.07

121.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.36 €1.21

56.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.01 €0.90

122.77%

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

$14.64 €13.02

-69.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.03 €1.81

10.84%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.5K €32.5K

-23.21%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$35.3K €31.4K

-20.14%

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

$205 €182

$198 €176

3.47%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$11.27 €10.02

136.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$27.16 €24.16

11.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$27.86 €24.78

-7.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$13.49 €12.00

-22.76%

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

$569 €506

$895 €796

-36.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$19.5K €17.3K

-35.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$54.1 €48.15

63.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$45.48 €40.45

-11.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$109 €97.1

-3.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$90.3 €80.3

34.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$724 €644

2.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$595 €529

10.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,231 €1,095

5.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$553 €492

107.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$2,320 €2,063

-46.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.65

22.74%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Crema: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Crema

$595 39.6% 9.1% $60

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Crema

$250 16.6% 19.4% $60

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Crema

$247 16.4% 8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Crema

$236 15.7% 9.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Crema

$135 8.9% 15.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Crema

$27 * 1.8% 64.2% $48

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Crema

$15 * 1% 67.4% $30

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 $724 in Crema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Crema pays 87% 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 $55.0 in Crema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $250 per month, with Crema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇹 Crema

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

18:38 6:38 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

32,981

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Crema 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Crema

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 Crema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Crema wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Crema the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Crema. 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 $724 in Crema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $895 in Crema. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Crema – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,504 in Crema versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Crema but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Crema the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Crema delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,504 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Crema hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Crema 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 Crema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.