Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Drama

For one person, living is cheaper in Drama: $1,219 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Drama
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Drama Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Drama

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Drama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,219 in Drama.

Athens $1,759
Drama $1,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $1,825 in Drama.

Athens $2,696
Drama $1,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $2,430 in Drama.

Athens $3,632
Drama $2,430

Living in Athens is roughly 44% more expensive than in Drama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 29% above, Drama is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.27

$16.73 €14.98

1.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.0

$44.79 €40.12

47.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.81

$11.31 €10.13

-3.09%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.68

$2.55 €2.28

60.78%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.26 €2.03

25.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$0.75 €0.68

-21.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.04

$3.29 €2.95

70.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.08

$4.48 €4.02

26.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.67 €1.49

13.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.79 €1.60

-18.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.14 €1.02

137.72%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.52

$5.23 €4.68

-3.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.50

$13.98 €12.52

7.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.20

$9.34 €8.37

10.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.37

$13.95 €12.49

39.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.42 €1.27

49.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.37 €1.23

39.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.17 €1.04

20.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.10 €1.88

1.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$0.92 €0.83

13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.21 €1.09

-6.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.53 €1.37

-26.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.88 €0.78

-7.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.94

$5.13 €4.59

7.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.95

$5.68 €5.09

75.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.02 €0.91

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.96 €1.76

16.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.17

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.47

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.91

$4.28 €3.83

2.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.14 €1.02

-9.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.27

$16.73 €14.99

1.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.22 €1.98

5.41%

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

$28.3K €25.3K

$28.4K €25.4K

-0.47%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$28.2K €25.3K

-5.14%

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

$200 €179

$191 €171

4.85%

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

$25.17 €22.55

$22.90 €20.51

9.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.56

$30.29 €27.13

-2.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.17

$42.64 €38.19

18.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.23

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.43

$9.02 €8.08

16.63%

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

$576 €516

$447 €400

28.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$9,012 €8,071

43.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.3

$97.8 €87.6

-8.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.44

$22.45 €20.10

76.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.4

$59.2 €53.0

78.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$66.0 €59.1

87.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €663

$355 €318

108.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €576

$295 €264

117.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,169

$624 €559

109.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,004

$445 €399

151.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,593

$1,503 €1,346

166.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,941

$3,215 €2,879

2.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,096

$1,125 €1,007

8.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.27

4.92%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Drama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Drama

$295 24.2% 54.1% $348

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Drama

$263 21.6% 15.7% $49

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Drama

$236 19.4% 13.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Drama

$244 20% 4.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Drama

$110 9.1% 31.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Drama

$61 5% 15.1% $11

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Drama

$10 * 0.8% 78.1% $35

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 $740 in Athens and $355 in Drama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $45 in Drama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $263 per month, with Drama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Drama

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

42,501

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Drama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drama wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Drama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $740 in Athens versus $355 in Drama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Athens versus $447 in Drama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Drama – a meal for two runs $45 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,219 in Drama versus $1,759 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Drama but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Drama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

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