Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Giessen

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,261 in Giessen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Giessen
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Giessen Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Giessen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Giessen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,261 in Giessen.

Athens $1,775
Giessen $2,261

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,142 in Giessen.

Athens $2,721
Giessen $3,142

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,024 in Giessen.

Athens $3,666
Giessen $4,024

Living in Athens costs roughly 21% less than in Giessen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Giessen 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$21.47 €19.10

-22.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$65.7 €58.4

3.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$13.65 €12.14

-18.39%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.82 €3.40

5.50%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.43 €2.16

13.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.98 €1.76

-72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$4.85 €4.31

18.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.60 €4.98

-2.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.31 €1.16

38.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.16 €1.92

-36.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.66 €3.25

-23.50%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.77 €3.35

28.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$14.13 €12.57

6.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$10.62 €9.45

0.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$18.56 €16.51

-0.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.89 €2.57

-23.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.72 €1.53

10.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.17 €1.93

-36.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.10 €3.64

-48.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.14 €1.02

-5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.13 €1.01

-0.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.51 €1.34

-25.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.23 €1.10

-28.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$9.98 €8.87

-45.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.66 €5.03

78.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.02 €0.91

108.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.50 €1.34

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.94 €3.51

-65.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$67.5 €60.1

-55.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.42 €4.82

-17.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.25 €2.00

-54.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$38.00 €33.80

-55.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.99 €1.77

13.07%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$30.2K €26.9K

-7.28%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$37.3K €33.2K

-24.33%

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

$205 €182

$340 €302

-39.75%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$32.63 €29.02

-18.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$51.7 €46.01

-41.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$39.04 €34.73

39.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.40 €9.25

0.19%

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

$569 €506

$1,083 €964

-47.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$44.0K €39.1K

-71.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$45.18 €40.19

96.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$22.68 €20.17

78.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$113 €100

-6.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$146 €130

-17.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$717 €638

3.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$903 €803

-27.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,470 €1,307

-11.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,206 €1,072

-4.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$5,593 €4,975

-28.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,817 €2,506

22.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$2,737 €2,435

-54.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.96

13.13%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Giessen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Giessen

$903 39.9% 37.9% $248

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Giessen

$315 14% 1.6% $5.1

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Giessen

$312 13.8% 16.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Giessen

$424 18.8% 62% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Giessen

$147 6.5% 8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Giessen

$60 2.7% 20.5% $15

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Giessen

$100 4.4% 123% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $717 in Giessen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Giessen pays 120% 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 $66.0 in Giessen. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $315, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇩🇪 Giessen

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

89,179

💱 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 Giessen 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Giessen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Giessen. 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 120% lower in Giessen. 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 $717 in Giessen. 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 $68.0 versus $66.0 in Giessen. 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 $2,261 in Giessen – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,261 in Giessen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Giessen. 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 Giessen 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 27% less than in Giessen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.