Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Ilmenau

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,071 in Ilmenau, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Ilmenau
Learn more

Ilmenau Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Ilmenau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Ilmenau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,071 in Ilmenau.

Athens $1,775
Ilmenau $2,071

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,525 in Ilmenau.

Athens $2,721
Ilmenau $2,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,980 in Ilmenau.

Athens $3,666
Ilmenau $2,980

Living in Athens costs roughly 14% less than in Ilmenau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Ilmenau 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.96 €9.75

52.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$66.5 €59.2

1.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.27 €10.02

-1.15%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.41 €3.04

18.18%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$4.26 €3.79

-34.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$7.97 €7.09

-93.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$4.41 €3.92

30.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.99 €4.44

9.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.13 €1.01

61.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.14 €1.90

-35.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.24 €2.88

-13.58%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.23 €2.87

49.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$14.33 €12.75

5.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$10.24 €9.11

3.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$17.76 €15.79

3.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.87 €2.55

-23.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.40 €1.24

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.50 €3.11

-60.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.82 €3.40

-45.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.11 €1.88

-48.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.36 €1.21

-17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.63 €1.45

-31.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.88 €0.78

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$9.22 €8.20

-40.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.22 €5.53

62.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.11 €0.99

91.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.48 €1.32

52.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$65.3 €58.1

-54.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.23 €4.65

-14.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$4.21 €3.75

-75.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$43.78 €38.94

-61.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.14 €1.90

5.14%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$32.3K €28.7K

-13.10%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$37.8K €33.6K

-25.25%

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

$205 €182

$675 €600

-69.68%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$27.38 €24.36

-2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$34.08 €30.32

-10.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$48.13 €42.81

13.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$13.20 €11.74

-21.06%

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

$569 €506

$454 €404

25.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$93.0 €82.8

-4.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$31.50 €28.02

28.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$121 €107

-13.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$113 €101

7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$471 €419

57.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$455 €404

44.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$828 €737

56.90%

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

$3,254 €2,894

-61.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.95

13.42%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ilmenau: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Ilmenau

$455 22% 30.6% $200

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Ilmenau

$309 14.9% 0.5% $1.5

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Ilmenau

$243 11.8% 9.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Ilmenau

$736 35.6% 181% $475

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Ilmenau

$161 7.8% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Ilmenau

$75 3.6% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Ilmenau

$92 * 4.4% 104% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $471 in Ilmenau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilmenau pays 162% 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 $67.0 in Ilmenau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $309 per month, with Ilmenau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇩🇪 Ilmenau

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

39,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Athens Ilmenau 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Ilmenau

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 Ilmenau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ilmenau. 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 162% lower in Ilmenau. 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: $741 in Athens versus $471 in Ilmenau. 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 $68.0 versus $67.0 in Ilmenau. 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 $2,071 in Ilmenau – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,071 in Ilmenau, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Ilmenau. 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 $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Ilmenau 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 17% less than in Ilmenau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.