Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Heraklion

For one person, living is cheaper in Heraklion: $1,594 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Heraklion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,594 in Heraklion.

Athens $1,775
Heraklion $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,499 in Heraklion.

Athens $2,721
Heraklion $2,499

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,403 in Heraklion.

Athens $3,666
Heraklion $3,403

Living in Athens is roughly 11% more expensive than in Heraklion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Heraklion 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$12.89 €11.47

29.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$56.1 €49.86

20.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.92 €8.82

12.30%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.83 €3.41

5.22%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.44 €2.17

13.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.79 €0.70

-30.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.42 €4.82

5.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.27 €4.69

3.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.69 €1.51

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.42 €1.27

-2.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.58 €2.29

8.53%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.46 €3.97

8.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$15.91 €14.15

-5.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$10.54 €9.38

0.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$15.14 €13.46

21.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.17 €1.93

1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.14 €1.91

-11.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.68 €1.50

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.23 €1.09

-12.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.23 €1.09

-8.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.93 €0.83

20.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.72 €0.64

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$4.94 €4.39

10.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.60 €6.76

33.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.34 €2.08

-8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.86 €2.54

-21.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.46 €1.30

-6.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$67.6 €60.1

-55.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.37 €3.89

1.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.13 €1.01

-9.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$11.14 €9.91

51.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.16 €1.92

4.17%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$27.3K €24.3K

2.57%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$24.0K €21.3K

17.70%

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

$205 €182

$194 €173

5.29%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$30.65 €27.26

-13.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$38.76 €34.48

-21.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$49.10 €43.68

10.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$39.52 €35.15

-34.51%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.74 €7.77

19.22%

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

$569 €506

$409 €364

39.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$3,997 €3,555

214.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$90.1 €80.1

-1.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$42.03 €37.39

-3.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$85.2 €75.8

23.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$136 €121

-10.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$640 €569

15.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$498 €443

31.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,089 €969

19.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$987 €878

16.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$4,043 €3,597

-0.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,746 €2,442

26.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,128 €1,004

10.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.44

0.90%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Heraklion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Heraklion

$498 31.2% 23.9% $156

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Heraklion

$294 18.4% 5.3% $16

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Heraklion

$229 14.4% 14.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Heraklion

$264 16.5% 0.8% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Heraklion

$159 10% 0.6% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Heraklion

$67 4.2% 11.6% $8.8

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Heraklion

$83 5.2% 86% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $640 in Heraklion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 10% 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 $56.0 in Heraklion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $294 per month, with Heraklion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

140,730

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Heraklion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heraklion wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Heraklion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $640 in Heraklion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Heraklion – a meal for two runs $56.0 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 $1,594 in Heraklion – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,594 in Heraklion versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Heraklion but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Heraklion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Heraklion delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,594 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Heraklion hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Heraklion 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 Heraklion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.