Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and George

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,105 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in George

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,105 in George.

Athens $1,775
George $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,834 in George.

Athens $2,721
George $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,563 in George.

Athens $3,666
George $2,563

Living in Athens is roughly 61% more expensive than in George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, George is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.87 R 179

53.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$41.26 R 680

64.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$4.81 R 79.3

131.60%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.10 R 34.66

91.90%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.06 R 17.47

161.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.77 R 12.63

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.72 R 44.76

111.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.20 R 52.8

70.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.13 R 18.55

61.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.04 R 17.20

32.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.43 R 23.63

95.80%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.80 R 46.05

72.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.36 R 138

80.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.45 R 89.8

95.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$6.66 R 110

176.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.61 R 26.49

36.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.47 R 24.19

29.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.54 R 25.33

-11.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.73 R 28.44

21.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.63 R 26.89

-33.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.42 R 23.41

-21.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.25 R 20.53

-10.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.97 R 15.99

-9.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.18 R 52.4

72.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.72 R 77.8

114.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.22 R 20.09

74.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.73 R 28.48

30.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.54 R 25.37

-11.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$27.77 R 457

7.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.58 R 9.50

667.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.47 R 7.67

117.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$8.38 R 138

101.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.22 R 20.03

84.43%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$29.7K R 488.9K

-5.54%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$29.4K R 483.7K

-3.84%

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

$205 €182

$121 R 1,995

69.01%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$17.44 R 287

52.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$45.19 R 745

-32.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$29.75 R 490

83.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$10.64 R 175

143.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$6.08 R 100

71.38%

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

$569 €506

$137 R 2,263

314.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,187 R 85.5K

142.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$71.5 R 1,177

24.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$37.94 R 625

6.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$112 R 1,845

-6.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$85.8 R 1,413

41.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$422 R 6,956

75.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$365 R 6,010

79.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$773 R 12.7K

68.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$929 R 15.3K

23.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$871 R 14.4K

360.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$652 R 10.7K

430.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,364 R 22.5K

-8.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.92

-58.97%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for George: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

George

$365 33% 44.3% $290

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

George

$186 16.8% 40.1% $124

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

George

$154 13.9% 42.6% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

George

$184 16.6% 29.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

George

$138 12.5% 13.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

George

$42 3.8% 44.4% $33

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

George

$37 3.3% 17.9% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $422 in George. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George pays 10% 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 $41.00 in George for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $186 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

09:38 9:38 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

188,580

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Athens George 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
George

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 George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making George the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in George. 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 $422 in George. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George – a meal for two runs $41.00 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 $1,105 in George – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,105 in George versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes George the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but George delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,105 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes George hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and George 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 George gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.