Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Izmir

For one person, living is cheaper in Izmir: $1,218 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Izmir
Learn more

Izmir Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,218

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Izmir

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,218 in Izmir.

Athens $1,779
Izmir $1,218

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,900 in Izmir.

Athens $2,721
Izmir $1,900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,582 in Izmir.

Athens $3,663
Izmir $2,582

Living in Athens is roughly 46% more expensive than in Izmir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Izmir is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$9.89 ₺495

70.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$36.57 ₺1,830

80.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$8.31 ₺416

34.90%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.69 ₺185

10.57%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.53 ₺76.4

81.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.63 ₺31.70

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$3.41 ₺171

67.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$5.13 ₺257

22.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.12 ₺55.9

64.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.01 ₺50.3

41.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.26 ₺113

18.14%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.50 ₺125

98.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$9.51 ₺476

58.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.08 ₺254

116.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$20.81 ₺1,041

-5.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.99 ₺99.4

6.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.09 ₺105

-5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.02 ₺51.0

30.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.42 ₺71.0

52.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.58 ₺29.19

82.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.41 ₺20.48

180.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.05 ₺52.7

2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.79 ₺39.74

7.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.19 ₺109

149.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$12.04 ₺602

-16.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.00 ₺99.9

2.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.12 ₺156

-23.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.72 ₺36.19

87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$42.39 ₺2,121

-28.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.56 ₺178

7.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.10 ₺55.0

-6.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$4.86 ₺243

239.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.41 ₺70.5

65.96%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$45.6K ₺2.3M

-39.06%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$45.3K ₺2.3M

-41.33%

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

$202 €180

$84.3 ₺4,218

139.91%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$10.46 ₺524

156.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$15.54 ₺778

96.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$67.7 ₺3,388

-20.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$30.07 ₺1,505

-8.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$8.23 ₺412

26.85%

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

$568 €506

$590 ₺29.5K

-3.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$27.1K ₺1.4M

-44.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$46.81 ₺2,343

93.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$36.08 ₺1,805

8.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$91.3 ₺4,568

15.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$79.4 ₺3,973

62.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$593 ₺29.7K

25.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$424 ₺21.2K

53.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$1,142 ₺57.2K

11.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$779 ₺39.0K

44.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,359 ₺68.0K

194.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$1,015 ₺50.8K

223.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,160 ₺58.0K

7.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

41.22

-89.23%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Izmir: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Izmir

$424 34.8% 34.6% $225

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Izmir

$247 20.3% 22% $69

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Izmir

$184 15.1% 32.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Izmir

$110 9.1% 57.5% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Izmir

$114 9.4% 30.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Izmir

$84 6.9% 12.3% $9.2

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Izmir

$54 4.5% 21.1% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $593 in Izmir. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 7% 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 in Athens vs $37 in Izmir for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $247 per month, with Izmir cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 Izmir

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

23:45 11:45 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

4,493,242

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Izmir 300 km

From you

Athens
Izmir

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 Izmir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Izmir wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Izmir the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Athens, 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 $593 in Izmir. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Izmir – a meal for two runs $37 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 $1,218 in Izmir – Izmir is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Izmir 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 Izmir are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Izmir wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.