Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Edessa

For one person, living is cheaper in Edessa: $1,452 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Edessa
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Edessa Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Edessa

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Edessa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,452 in Edessa.

Athens $1,779
Edessa $1,452

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,139 in Edessa.

Athens $2,721
Edessa $2,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,826 in Edessa.

Athens $3,663
Edessa $2,826

Living in Athens is roughly 23% more expensive than in Edessa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 32% above, Edessa 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.95

$16.70 €14.84

0.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.6

$53.4 €47.40

23.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.96

$9.78 €8.69

14.62%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.63

$3.38 €3.00

20.71%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.87 €1.66

48.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.59 €0.52

-8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.06

$3.84 €3.41

48.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.56

$4.55 €4.04

37.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.51 €1.34

21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.24 €1.10

15.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.01 €1.78

32.84%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.40

$4.31 €3.83

14.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.41

$14.17 €12.59

6.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.76

$8.33 €7.40

31.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.56

$13.08 €11.62

51.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.19 €1.95

-3.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.97 €1.75

0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.75 €1.56

-24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.21 €1.96

-2.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.22 €1.08

-13.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.27 €1.13

-9.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.93 €0.83

16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.78 €0.70

8.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.85

$5.69 €5.06

-4.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.91

$7.16 €6.36

40.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.67 €1.48

22.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.51 €2.23

-5.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.39 €1.23

-2.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.11

$51.2 €45.46

-40.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.38

$4.37 €3.89

-12.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.91

$0.98 €0.87

5.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.64

$16.91 €15.02

-2.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.25 €2.00

4.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$31.8K €28.3K

-12.73%

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

$26.6K €23.6K

$27.6K €24.5K

-3.66%

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

$202 €180

$254 €226

-20.51%

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

$26.81 €23.81

$25.60 €22.74

4.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.08

$34.87 €30.97

-12.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.03

$48.68 €43.24

11.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.34

$21.39 €19.00

28.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.27

$9.10 €8.08

14.73%

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

$568 €504

$413 €367

37.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$10.1K €8,998

49.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.5

$87.7 €77.9

3.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €34.93

$39.41 €35.00

-0.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

$94.1 €83.6

11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$125 €111

3.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €659

$343 €305

115.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €576

$343 €304

89.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,129

$590 €524

115.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €996

$466 €414

140.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,552

$1,345 €1,195

197.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,914

$2,204 €1,958

48.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,106

$767 €682

62.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Edessa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Edessa

$343 23.6% 47.2% $306

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Edessa

$264 18.2% 16.5% $52

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Edessa

$242 16.7% 11% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Edessa

$315 21.7% 21.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Edessa

$156 10.7% 4.9% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Edessa

$67 4.6% 10.8% $8.1

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Edessa

$66 4.6% 47.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $343 in Edessa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $53 in Edessa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $264 per month, with Edessa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Edessa

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

18,253

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Edessa 350 km

From you

Athens
Edessa

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 Edessa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 62% 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: $742 in Athens versus $343 in Edessa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Edessa – a meal for two runs $53 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,452 in Edessa – Edessa is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Edessa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Edessa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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