Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Jimma

For one person, living is cheaper in Jimma: $1,028 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Jimma

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,028

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Jimma

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,028 in Jimma.

Athens $1,779
Jimma $1,028

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

Athens $2,721
Jimma $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,800 in Jimma.

Athens $3,663
Jimma $1,800

Living in Athens is roughly 73% more expensive than in Jimma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Jimma is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.60 ETB 740

265.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.15 ETB 185

254.78%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.58 ETB 94.0

377.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.43 ETB 69.6

25.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.81 ETB 452

102.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.37 ETB 221

356.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.15 ETB 185

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.36 ETB 57.4

297.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.14 ETB 183

134.21%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$4.12 ETB 662

20.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$11.28 ETB 1,815

-2.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$11.09 ETB 1,783

78.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.29 ETB 368

-7.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.14 ETB 183

73.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$3.32 ETB 534

-59.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.57 ETB 92.2

278.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.54 ETB 87.0

96.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$3.45 ETB 554

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.54 ETB 87.2

57.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$6.81 ETB 1,095

47.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.15 ETB 185

77.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.39 ETB 223

71.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.23 ETB 37.09

486.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$13.36 ETB 2,148

128.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$1.63 ETB 263

911.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.64 ETB 264

42.68%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$49.6K ETB 8.0M

-44.07%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$55.7K ETB 9.0M

-52.27%

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

$202 €180

$62.4 ETB 10.0K

224.12%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$35.05 ETB 5,637

-23.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$308 ETB 49.6K

-90.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$32.99 ETB 5,305

63.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

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

$568 €505

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$88.1 ETB 14.2K

-55.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$134 ETB 21.5K

-21.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$112 ETB 18.0K

15.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$209 ETB 33.7K

254.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$156 ETB 25.1K

315.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$408 ETB 65.5K

211.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$307 ETB 49.3K

265.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$2,254 ETB 362.5K

77.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,104 ETB 177.5K

197.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$226 ETB 36.4K

450.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-50.67%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Jimma: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Jimma

–

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Jimma

–

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Jimma

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Jimma

–

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Jimma

–

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Jimma

–

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Jimma

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $209 in Jimma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇹 Jimma

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

03:59 3:59 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

207,573

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Jimma 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Jimma

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 Jimma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jimma wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jimma the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 5.5 times higher, 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 $209 in Jimma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,028 in Jimma – Jimma is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,028 in Jimma versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jimma but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Jimma 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.

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