Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Emmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $1,881 in Emmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Emmen
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Emmen Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Emmen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Emmen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,881 in Emmen.

Athens $1,775
Emmen $1,881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,894 in Emmen.

Athens $2,721
Emmen $2,894

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,906 in Emmen.

Athens $3,666
Emmen $3,906

Living in Athens costs roughly 6% less than in Emmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Emmen 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$21.79 €19.38

-23.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$81.4 €72.4

-16.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$13.61 €12.10

-18.15%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.36 €2.99

19.94%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.33 €2.96

-16.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$3.42 €3.04

-83.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.45 €4.85

5.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.42 €3.94

23.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.08 €0.96

68.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.27 €2.02

-39.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.64 €2.35

6.06%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.34 €3.86

11.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$12.25 €10.90

22.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$12.78 €11.37

-16.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$16.94 €15.07

8.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.68 €2.38

-17.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.43 €2.16

-21.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.80 €1.60

-23.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.18 €2.83

-33.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.77 €1.58

-38.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.80 €1.60

-37.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.18 €1.05

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.76 €0.68

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$12.30 €10.94

-55.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.59 €5.86

53.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.30 €1.16

63.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.59 €2.31

-13.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.24 €2.00

-39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$8.29 €7.38

-46.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.99 €1.77

-48.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$22.49 €20.01

-24.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.41 €2.14

-6.64%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$42.0K €37.3K

-33.19%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.6K €34.3K

-26.77%

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

$205 €182

$166 €148

22.98%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$18.72 €16.65

42.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$56.6 €50.3

-46.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$41.53 €36.94

31.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$21.99 €19.56

17.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$13.65 €12.15

-23.66%

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

$569 €506

$2,474 €2,201

-77.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$7,960 €7,081

58.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$76.8 €68.3

15.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$39.25 €34.92

3.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$90.7 €80.7

15.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$100 €89.0

21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$890 €792

-16.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$775 €689

-15.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,702 €1,514

-23.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,330 €1,183

-13.72%

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

$2,768 €2,462

-55.12%

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 Emmen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Emmen

$775 41.2% 18.4% $120

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Emmen

$312 16.6% 0.4% $1.3

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Emmen

$319 16.9% 18.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Emmen

$242 12.9% 7.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Emmen

$138 7.3% 13.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Emmen

$69 3.7% 8.6% $6.5

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Emmen

$27 * 1.5% 39.3% $18

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 $890 in Emmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Emmen pays 123% 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $81.0 in Emmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $312 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇱 Emmen

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

108,765

💱 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 Emmen 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Emmen

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 Emmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Emmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 123% lower in Emmen. 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 $890 in Emmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $2,474 in Emmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $81.0 in Emmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,881 in Emmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Emmen. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Emmen 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Emmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.