Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Essen

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $1,973 in Essen, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Essen
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Essen Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Essen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,973 in Essen.

Athens $1,806
Essen $1,973

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $3,106 in Essen.

Athens $2,731
Essen $3,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $4,239 in Essen.

Athens $3,656
Essen $4,239

Living in Athens costs roughly 8% less than in Essen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Essen 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$19.82 €17.69

-15.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$86.1 €76.8

-23.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$13.62 €12.15

-18.80%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$3.90 €3.48

6.15%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$3.17 €2.83

-11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.64 €2.35

-78.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$6.10 €5.44

-7.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$5.63 €5.02

-3.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.23 €1.09

59.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.10 €1.88

-32.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$3.32 €2.96

-14.76%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.80 €3.39

32.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$16.79 €14.98

-8.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$10.28 €9.18

0.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$24.58 €21.94

-22.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.34 €2.98

-35.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.09 €1.87

-8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.16 €1.92

-36.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.93 €3.51

-44.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.36 €1.21

-19.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.25 €1.12

-9.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.54 €1.38

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.17 €1.05

-29.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$9.65 €8.61

-41.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$5.53 €4.94

84.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.09 €0.98

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.51 €1.35

62.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$4.07 €3.63

-66.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$65.5 €58.4

-52.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$4.99 €4.46

-12.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$3.46 €3.09

-69.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$39.97 €35.67

-57.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.20 €1.96

5.00%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$33.4K €29.8K

-16.12%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$38.9K €34.7K

-27.94%

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

$210 €187

$389 €347

-46.02%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$38.24 €34.13

-30.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$41.91 €37.40

-28.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$41.22 €36.78

32.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$36.96 €32.98

-29.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$15.36 €13.71

-29.82%

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

$575 €513

$465 €415

23.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$9,333 €8,329

40.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$94.4 €84.3

-1.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$83.9 €74.8

-51.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$111 €99.5

-6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$159 €142

-19.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$641 €572

17.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$487 €435

33.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,423 €1,270

-9.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$950 €848

22.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$4,666 €4,164

-14.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$3,040 €2,713

13.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$3,050 €2,722

-59.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.95

13.42%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Essen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Essen

$487 24.5% 25.3% $165

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Essen

$341 17.2% 8.4% $27

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Essen

$311 15.7% 15.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Essen

$469 23.6% 75.8% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Essen

$202 10.2% 22.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Essen

$72 3.6% 5.5% $4.2

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Essen

$104 5.2% 127% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $641 in Essen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Essen pays 145% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $86.0 in Essen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $341 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇩🇪 Essen

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

569,884

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Essen 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Essen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Essen. 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 145% lower in Essen. 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: $756 in Athens versus $641 in Essen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $86.0 in Essen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,973 in Essen – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $1,973 in Essen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Essen. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Essen 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 9% less than in Essen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.