Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Hertfordshire

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,541 in Hertfordshire, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hertfordshire outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Hertfordshire
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Hertfordshire Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Hertfordshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,541

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Hertfordshire

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $2,541 in Hertfordshire.

Athens $1,806
Hertfordshire $2,541

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $3,780 in Hertfordshire.

Athens $2,731
Hertfordshire $3,780

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $5,020 in Hertfordshire.

Athens $3,656
Hertfordshire $5,020

Living in Athens costs roughly 29% less than in Hertfordshire, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Hertfordshire 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$26.32 £19.88

-36.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$79.8 £60.2

-16.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$10.61 £8.01

4.24%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$4.94 £3.73

-16.19%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.37 £1.79

18.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.00 £1.51

-71.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$5.56 £4.20

1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$5.38 £4.06

1.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.52 £1.15

28.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.83 £1.39

-22.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.66 £2.01

6.39%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.49

$3.59 £2.71

40.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$7.96 £6.01

92.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$7.27 £5.49

42.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$16.30 £12.31

16.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.32 £2.50

-34.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.54 £1.16

24.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.02 £2.28

-54.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.49 £2.63

-36.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.16 £0.88

-5.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.74 £1.32

-35.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.24 £0.93

-11.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.58 £1.19

-47.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$21.24 £16.05

-73.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$9.89 £7.47

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.00 £1.51

9.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.04 £1.54

20.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.53 £2.67

-60.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.54

$87.2 £65.8

-64.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$4.07 £3.07

7.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$3.90 £2.95

-73.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$31.65 £23.90

-45.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.98 £1.50

16.67%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$37.8K £28.5K

-25.97%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$40.6K £30.7K

-30.97%

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

$210 €187

$161 £121

30.45%

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

$26.70 €23.82

$17.68 £13.35

51.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.88

$44.41 £33.54

-32.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$46.26 £34.95

18.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.22

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$13.32 £10.06

-19.07%

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

$575 €513

$1,565 £1,182

-63.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$20.2K £15.3K

-35.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$46.38 £35.03

100.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$39.51 £29.84

2.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$73.3 £55.4

41.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$110 £82.9

16.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,752 £1,323

-56.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$1,334 £1,008

-51.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$2,862 £2,162

-54.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,037

$2,352 £1,776

-50.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$4,907 £3,706

-18.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,080

$3,922 £2,963

-11.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,109

$3,204 £2,420

-61.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.21

-14.01%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hertfordshire: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Hertfordshire

$1.3K 52.9% 105% $682

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Hertfordshire

$288 11.4% 8.6% $27

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Hertfordshire

$358 14.2% 33.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Hertfordshire

$223 8.8% 16.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Hertfordshire

$121 4.8% 26.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Hertfordshire

$73 2.9% 4.3% $3.3

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Hertfordshire

$125 5% 172% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,752 in Hertfordshire. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hertfordshire pays 158% 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 $80.0 in Hertfordshire. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $288, with Hertfordshire cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇧 Hertfordshire

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

18:19 6:19 PM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

33,990

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Hertfordshire 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Athens
Hertfordshire

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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 Hertfordshire: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Hertfordshire. 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 158% lower in Hertfordshire. 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 $1,752 in Hertfordshire. 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 $80.0 in Hertfordshire. 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 $2,541 in Hertfordshire – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,541 in Hertfordshire, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Hertfordshire. 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 Hertfordshire 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 41% less than in Hertfordshire. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.