Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Hvar

For one person, living is cheaper in Hvar: $1,522 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Hvar
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Hvar Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Hvar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Hvar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,522 in Hvar.

Athens $1,759
Hvar $1,522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $2,310 in Hvar.

Athens $2,696
Hvar $2,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $3,097 in Hvar.

Athens $3,632
Hvar $3,097

Living in Athens is roughly 16% more expensive than in Hvar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Hvar 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.32

$13.08 €11.75

30.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.2

$72.8 €65.4

-9.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$9.13 €8.20

20.04%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$2.53 €2.27

62.06%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$3.12 €2.80

-9.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$2.28 €2.05

-74.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$3.54 €3.18

58.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$4.09 €3.68

38.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.19 €1.07

59.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.54 €1.39

-5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.99 €2.69

-9.36%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$3.88 €3.49

29.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.55

$10.69 €9.60

41.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$9.48 €8.52

8.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.43

$11.72 €10.53

65.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$1.72 €1.55

23.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.67 €1.50

14.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.99 €1.79

-29.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.57 €2.31

-17.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$1.29 €1.16

-19.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.28 €1.15

-11.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.27 €1.14

-11.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.20 €1.08

-32.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$5.73 €5.14

-3.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.98

$6.89 €6.19

44.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.50 €1.35

36.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.99 €1.79

14.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.76 €1.58

-25.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.56

$43.21 €38.83

-29.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$3.08 €2.77

41.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.11 €1.00

-7.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$8.80 €7.91

93.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.11

$1.78 €1.60

31.46%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$38.2K €34.4K

-26.10%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$26.6K €23.9K

0.77%

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

$200 €180

$190 €171

5.32%

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

$25.17 €22.62

$22.50 €20.22

11.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$31.64 €28.43

-6.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.32

$50.5 €45.38

-0.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

$14.55 €13.07

78.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.46

$8.86 €7.96

18.74%

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

$576 €518

$243 €218

137.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$8,090 €7,269

59.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$94.0 €84.4

-4.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$39.00 €35.04

1.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$105 €94.2

0.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$106 €94.8

17.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$681 €612

8.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €578

$526 €473

22.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$1,116 €1,002

16.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$828 €744

35.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,604

$4,155 €3,734

-3.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,951

$3,241 €2,912

1.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.35

2.99%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hvar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Hvar

$526 34.6% 18.1% $116

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Hvar

$260 17.1% 16.7% $52

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Hvar

$210 13.8% 22.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Hvar

$244 16% 4.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Hvar

$155 10.2% 4.2% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Hvar

$68 4.5% 4.5% $3.3

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Hvar

$59 3.9% 29.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $681 in Hvar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $73 in Hvar. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $260, with Hvar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇭🇷 Hvar

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

14:53 2:53 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

3,979

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Hvar 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Hvar

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 Hvar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hvar wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hvar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,639 in Athens and $2,283 in Hvar 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $740 in Athens versus $681 in Hvar. 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 versus $73 in Hvar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,759 per month in Athens versus $1,522 in Hvar – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Hvar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Hvar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.