Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Jena

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Jena: $1,775 and $1,786 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Jena
Learn more

Jena Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Jena

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Jena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,786 in Jena.

Athens $1,775
Jena $1,786

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,668 in Jena.

Athens $2,721
Jena $2,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,550 in Jena.

Athens $3,666
Jena $3,550

Living in Athens costs roughly 1% less than in Jena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Jena 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$12.92 €11.49

29.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$65.9 €58.7

2.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.28 €10.03

-1.24%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.02 €3.58

0.25%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.04 €2.71

-8.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.99 €2.66

-81.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.61 €4.99

2.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.55 €4.04

19.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.15 €1.03

58.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.16 €1.92

-36.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.92 €2.60

-4.11%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.65 €3.25

32.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$14.56 €12.95

3.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$11.63 €10.35

-8.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$19.23 €17.11

-4.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.10 €2.76

-29.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.85 €1.64

2.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.05 €1.82

-33.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.98 €3.54

-47.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.36 €1.21

-20.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.13 €1.00

-0.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.45 €1.29

-22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.10 €0.98

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$9.80 €8.72

-44.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.54 €4.93

82.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.99 €0.88

115.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.44 €1.28

56.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.86 €2.54

-52.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$69.1 €61.4

-56.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.53 €4.03

-1.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.71 €2.41

-62.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$33.59 €29.88

-49.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.19 €1.95

2.74%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$30.1K €26.8K

-6.98%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.5K €34.2K

-26.62%

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

$205 €182

$380 €338

-46.20%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$20.18 €17.95

32.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$42.58 €37.87

-28.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$36.48 €32.45

49.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.06 €8.95

3.58%

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

$569 €506

$874 €778

-34.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$15.2K €13.5K

-17.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$86.4 €76.8

2.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$40.90 €36.38

-1.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$108 €96.1

-2.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

-0.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$719 €639

3.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$462 €411

41.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,212 €1,078

7.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$845 €752

35.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,753 €2,449

25.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,204 €2,850

-61.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.96

13.13%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Jena: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Jena

$462 25.9% 29.4% $192

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Jena

$318 17.8% 2.4% $7.6

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Jena

$247 13.8% 8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Jena

$443 24.8% 69.3% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Jena

$161 9% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Jena

$57 3.2% 24.9% $19

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Jena

$99 5.5% 120% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $719 in Jena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jena pays 158% 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 $66.0 in Jena. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $318, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇩🇪 Jena

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

111,343

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Jena 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Jena

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 Jena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Jena. 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 158% lower in Jena. 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 $719 in Jena. 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 $66.0 in Jena. 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 $1,786 in Jena – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,786 in Jena, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Jena. 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 Jena 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 1% less than in Jena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.