Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and the Isle of Islay

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
113

Cost of Living Index on the Isle of Islay
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Isle of Islay Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and on the Isle of Islay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and on the Isle of Islay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $2,352 on the Isle of Islay.

Athens $1,771
Isle of Islay $2,352

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $3,353 on the Isle of Islay.

Athens $2,736
Isle of Islay $3,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $4,354 on the Isle of Islay.

Athens $3,701
Isle of Islay $4,354

Living in Athens costs roughly 25% less than on the Isle of Islay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Isle of Islay 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$21.60 £16.21

-22.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$81.4 £61.1

-16.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$10.60 £7.95

7.83%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$4.48 £3.36

-9.38%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$2.48 £1.86

10.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.32 £0.99

-59.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$5.83 £4.37

-2.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$6.01 £4.51

-5.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.03 £1.52

-8.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.75 £1.32

-17.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.74 £2.06

2.92%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$5.41 £4.06

-10.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$7.39 £5.54

106.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$9.52 £7.14

8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$15.36 £11.53

24.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.50 £1.88

-11.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.20 £1.65

-12.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.82 £2.12

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.87 £2.15

-28.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$3.06 £2.29

-65.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.11 £1.58

-44.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.86 £1.40

-41.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$2.43 £1.82

-65.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$23.79 £17.85

-76.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$12.03 £9.03

-15.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$3.26 £2.44

-34.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.22 £2.41

-29.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.50 £2.62

-60.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$98.1 £73.6

-69.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$4.75 £3.56

-7.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$3.79 £2.84

-73.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$26.58 £19.94

-37.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.07 £1.55

14.98%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$38.5K £28.9K

-26.29%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$40.4K £30.3K

-32.67%

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

$203 €181

$238 £178

-14.42%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$13.09 £9.82

104.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$42.21 £31.67

-28.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$43.82 £32.88

22.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$13.44 £10.08

-21.21%

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

$566 €504

$1,918 £1,439

-70.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$24.8K £18.6K

-48.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$100 £75.1

-10.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$57.6 £43.19

-29.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$121 £90.9

-14.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$87.1 £65.4

42.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$1,272 £955

-42.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$1,039 £779

-37.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$2,126 £1,595

-37.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,449 £1,087

-19.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$5,528 £4,147

-27.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$3,409 £2,558

2.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.41

-17.19%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2% 60.5% $392

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2% 7% $22

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4% 16.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5% 12.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Isle of Islay

$165 7% 2.3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Isle of Islay

$71 3% 5.6% $4.2

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8% 205% $91

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $1,272 on the Isle of Islay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $81.0 on the Isle of Islay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $334 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

17:26 5:26 PM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

3,457

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Isle of Islay 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Isle of Islay

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 Isle of Islay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than on the Isle of Islay. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,657 in Athens and $3,528 on the Isle of Islay 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: $729 in Athens versus $1,272 on the Isle of Islay. 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 $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $2,352 on the Isle of Islay – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient on the Isle of Islay. 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 $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Isle of Islay 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 33% less than on the Isle of Islay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.