Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Hella

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Hella: $1,775 and $1,722 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Hella
Learn more

Hella Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Hella

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,722 in Hella.

Athens $1,775
Hella $1,722

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,928 in Hella.

Athens $2,721
Hella $2,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,135 in Hella.

Athens $3,666
Hella $4,135

Living in Athens is roughly 3% more expensive than in Hella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Hella 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$31.26 ISK 3,791

-46.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$123 ISK 14.9K

-44.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$27.14 ISK 3,291

-58.95%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$6.93 ISK 841

-41.85%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.36 ISK 407

-17.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$3.07 ISK 373

-82.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$13.71 ISK 1,663

-58.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$12.32 ISK 1,495

-55.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.04 ISK 247

-10.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$4.26 ISK 516

-67.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.58 ISK 434

-21.79%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$6.99 ISK 848

-30.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$22.00 ISK 2,668

-31.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$24.51 ISK 2,973

-56.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$41.04 ISK 4,978

-55.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.35 ISK 406

-34.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.86 ISK 347

-33.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.13 ISK 379

-56.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$6.62 ISK 803

-68.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$3.81 ISK 463

-71.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.71 ISK 208

-34.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.78 ISK 458

-70.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.77 ISK 215

-50.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$13.79 ISK 1,672

-60.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$23.61 ISK 2,863

-57.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$3.71 ISK 449

-42.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.50 ISK 425

-35.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$6.61 ISK 802

-32.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.76 ISK 335

-63.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$81.2 ISK 9,844

-79.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.09 ISK 253

7.66%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$51.2K ISK 6.2M

-45.29%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$54.1K ISK 6.6M

-47.84%

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

$205 €182

$95.2 ISK 11.5K

114.98%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$33.16 ISK 4,022

-19.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

-65.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$19.67 ISK 2,386

-47.03%

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

$569 €506

$1,198 ISK 145.2K

-52.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

-50.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$147 ISK 17.8K

-39.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$67.0 ISK 8,130

-39.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$183 ISK 22.2K

-42.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$253 ISK 30.7K

-52.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

8.81

-49.15%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Hella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Hella

$620 36% 99.9% $310

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Hella

$534 31% 99% $265

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Hella

$216 12.6% 17.4% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Hella

$292 17% 82.8% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Hella

$39 * 2.3% 47.8% $36

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Hella

$20 * 1.2% 54.5% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $123 in Hella for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $620 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇸 Hella

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

04:41 4:41 AM

3 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Hella 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hella wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hella the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $2,583 in Hella to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $1,198 in Hella. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hella – a meal for two runs $123 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,722 in Hella versus $1,775 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hella but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Hella the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hella delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,722 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hella hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Hella 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 Hella gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.