Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $1,001 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in East London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,001 in East London.

Athens $1,775
East London $1,001

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,632 in East London.

Athens $2,721
East London $1,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,262 in East London.

Athens $3,666
East London $2,262

Living in Athens is roughly 77% more expensive than in East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, East London is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$9.27 R 153

80.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$38.10 R 628

77.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.73 R 94.4

94.42%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.07 R 34.16

94.69%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.02 R 16.79

171.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.78 R 12.92

-29.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.71 R 44.62

111.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.16 R 52.1

72.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.17 R 19.32

55.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.94 R 15.51

46.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.52 R 24.99

84.21%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.29 R 37.81

110.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.72 R 144

72.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.36 R 88.3

98.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$6.64 R 109

177.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.55 R 25.49

41.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.55 R 25.62

22.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.68 R 27.68

-18.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.51 R 24.83

39.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.67 R 27.53

-35.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.42 R 23.45

-21.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.12 R 18.49

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.92 R 15.19

-4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$2.85 R 47.01

92.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.90 R 80.7

106.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.14 R 18.79

86.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.91 R 15.04

147.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.54 R 25.40

-11.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$46.97 R 774

-36.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.19 R 19.60

273.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.49 R 8.11

108.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$8.55 R 141

97.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.35 R 22.30

66.67%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.4K R 582.9K

-20.77%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$30.1K R 495.4K

-6.12%

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

$205 €182

$121 R 1,994

69.06%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$32.82 R 541

-18.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$44.33 R 730

-31.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$39.22 R 646

38.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$4.81 R 79.3

116.63%

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

$569 €506

$176 R 2,896

223.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,405 R 89.1K

132.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$57.3 R 944

54.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$33.61 R 554

20.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$73.7 R 1,214

42.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$95.2 R 1,568

27.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$289 R 4,760

156.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$256 R 4,219

155.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$547 R 9,017

137.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$655 R 10.8K

75.38%

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

$1,657 R 27.3K

-25.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-59.27%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for East London: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

East London

$256 25.6% 60.9% $398

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

East London

$181 18.1% 41.6% $129

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

East London

$143 14.3% 46.5% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

East London

$198 19.8% 24.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

East London

$117 11.7% 26.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

East London

$49 4.9% 35.2% $26

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

East London

$57 5.7% 26.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $289 in East London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

East London pays 33% 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 $38.00 in East London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $181 per month, with East London cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

13:20 1:20 PM

12:20 12:20 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

267,007

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens East London 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

East London wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making East London the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in East London. 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 $289 in East London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in East London – a meal for two runs $38.00 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 $1,001 in East London – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,001 in East London versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in East London but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes East London the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but East London delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,001 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes East London hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and East London 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 East London gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.