Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Homs

For one person, living is cheaper in Homs: $525 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Homs
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Homs Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Homs

🇸🇾 Syria

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Homs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $525 in Homs.

Athens $1,779
Homs $525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $791 in Homs.

Athens $2,721
Homs $791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,058 in Homs.

Athens $3,663
Homs $1,058

Living in Athens is roughly 239% more expensive than in Homs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Homs is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$3.02 SYP 368

457.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$11.89 SYP 1,445

455.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$6.96 SYP 845

61.06%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$0.61 SYP 73.6

568.85%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$2.20 SYP 267

25.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.49 SYP 59.4

10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$1.94 SYP 236

193.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$4.04 SYP 491

54.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.81 SYP 98.2

127.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.42 SYP 50.9

240.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.55 SYP 189

72.26%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.59 SYP 193

211.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$3.93 SYP 478

283.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.75 SYP 699

91.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$12.10 SYP 1,471

63.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.61 SYP 74.1

247.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.40 SYP 170

41.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.62 SYP 75.9

114.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.33 SYP 40.47

554.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.59 SYP 72.3

79.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.81 SYP 98.2

41.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.27 SYP 32.46

300.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.62 SYP 75.5

37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.51 SYP 184

261.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$3.69 SYP 448

171.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.68 SYP 83.2

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.79 SYP 339

-14.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.18 SYP 21.65

650.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$14.85 SYP 1,805

105.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.97 SYP 118

292.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.46 SYP 177

-29.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.03 SYP 247

712.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.27 SYP 154

84.25%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$13.3K SYP 1.6M

109.51%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

38.98%

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

$202 €180

$93.8 SYP 11.4K

115.49%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$9.46 SYP 1,149

183.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$46.69 SYP 5,673

-34.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$9.94 SYP 1,208

443.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.55 SYP 674

88.11%

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

$568 €506

$55.1 SYP 6,694

929.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$896 SYP 108.9K

1593.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$4.90 SYP 596

1750.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$20.07 SYP 2,439

95.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$60.7 SYP 7,373

73.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$29.86 SYP 3,628

331.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$126 SYP 15.3K

488.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$51.5 SYP 6,251

1160.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$354 SYP 43.1K

258.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$136 SYP 16.6K

722.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$72.9 SYP 8,859

1607.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

14.25

-68.84%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Homs: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Homs

$51 9.8% 92.1% $597

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Homs

$146 27.8% 54% $171

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Homs

$81 15.4% 70.2% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Homs

$150 28.6% 42.2% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Homs

$52 9.9% 68.3% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Homs

$21 4% 71.9% $54

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Homs

$24 4.5% 46.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $126 in Homs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 17 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $12 in Homs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $146 per month, with Homs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇾 Homs

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

02:43 2:43 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

652,609

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.33 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Homs 1,220 km ≈ 2 h 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 Homs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Homs wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Homs the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 17 times higher, 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: $742 in Athens versus $126 in Homs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Homs – a meal for two runs $12 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $525 in Homs – Homs is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $525 in Homs versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Homs but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Homs the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Homs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.