Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and İzmit

For one person, living is cheaper in İzmit: $947 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in İzmit
Learn more

İzmit Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

İzmit

🇹🇷 Turkey

$947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in İzmit

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $947 in İzmit.

Athens $1,779
İzmit $947

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,414 in İzmit.

Athens $2,721
İzmit $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,881 in İzmit.

Athens $3,663
İzmit $1,881

Living in Athens is roughly 88% more expensive than in İzmit, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, İzmit is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$7.47 ₺375

125.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$29.77 ₺1,493

121.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$7.86 ₺394

42.62%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.51 ₺176

16.24%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.08 ₺54.3

156.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.29 ₺14.65

86.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.66 ₺133

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.73 ₺137

129.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.91 ₺45.53

102.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.95 ₺47.59

50.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.27 ₺114

17.62%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.98 ₺99.3

150.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.81 ₺392

93.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.89 ₺195

182.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$18.99 ₺953

4.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.65 ₺82.9

28.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.88 ₺94.4

5.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.01 ₺50.8

31.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.19 ₺59.7

81.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.49 ₺24.44

116.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.34 ₺17.26

238.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.72 ₺36.31

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.62 ₺30.85

37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.26 ₺114

141.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$8.09 ₺406

23.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.96 ₺98.6

4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.18 ₺110

9.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.77 ₺38.71

75.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.98 ₺48.93

288.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.07 ₺53.9

-3.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$3.99 ₺200

313.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.27 ₺63.8

84.25%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$41.1K ₺2.1M

-32.51%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$39.4K ₺2.0M

-32.48%

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

$202 €180

$44.21 ₺2,217

357.41%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$10.03 ₺503

167.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$12.73 ₺638

139.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$47.48 ₺2,381

13.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$4.98 ₺250

109.64%

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

$568 €505

$454 ₺22.7K

25.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$5,992 ₺300.5K

153.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$47.84 ₺2,399

89.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$42.69 ₺2,141

-7.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$83.6 ₺4,192

25.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$73.9 ₺3,705

74.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$452 ₺22.7K

64.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$344 ₺17.3K

88.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$746 ₺37.4K

70.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$492 ₺24.7K

128.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,116 ₺56.0K

258.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,151 ₺57.7K

185.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-88.90%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for İzmit: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

İzmit

$344 36.3% 46.9% $304

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

İzmit

$208 21.9% 34.3% $109

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

İzmit

$150 15.8% 44.9% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

İzmit

$67 7.1% 74.2% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

İzmit

$112 11.8% 31.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

İzmit

$57 6.1% 23.3% $18

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

İzmit

$9.4 * 1% 79% $35

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 $742 in Athens and $452 in İzmit. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $30 in İzmit for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $208 per month, with İzmit cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 İzmit

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

376,056

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens İzmit 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
İzmit

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 İzmit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

İzmit wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making İzmit the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $1,421 in İzmit 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: $742 in Athens versus $452 in İzmit. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $454 in İzmit. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in İzmit – a meal for two runs $30 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $947 in İzmit versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in İzmit but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes İzmit 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.