Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,406 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Johannesburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,406 in Johannesburg.

Athens $1,806
Johannesburg $1,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,192 in Johannesburg.

Athens $2,731
Johannesburg $2,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $2,978 in Johannesburg.

Athens $3,656
Johannesburg $2,978

Living in Athens is roughly 28% more expensive than in Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Johannesburg 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.85

$11.96 R 198

39.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$44.08 R 731

50.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.86

$7.41 R 123

49.26%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.47 R 40.89

67.61%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.17 R 19.46

139.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.87 R 14.49

-34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$2.26 R 37.50

149.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.78 R 46.10

96.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.34 R 22.23

46.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.24 R 20.51

13.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.78 R 29.49

58.99%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.49

$2.64 R 43.82

90.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.68

$8.42 R 140

82.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.22

$5.36 R 88.9

92.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.92

$8.43 R 140

125.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.05 R 33.94

5.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.80 R 29.81

6.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.84 R 30.48

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.03 R 33.64

8.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.71 R 28.38

-35.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.83 R 30.31

-38.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.41 R 23.46

-21.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.32 R 21.94

-37.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$3.38 R 56.1

65.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.08

$5.99 R 99.3

70.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.84 R 30.46

18.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.44 R 40.49

0.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.05 R 34.02

-32.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.52

$89.5 R 1,485

-65.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.82 R 13.65

432.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.93 R 15.49

11.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.26

$14.67 R 243

16.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.50 R 24.90

54.00%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.0K R 597.7K

-22.35%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$32.7K R 542.6K

-14.37%

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

$210 €187

$227 R 3,770

-7.73%

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

$26.70 €23.80

$37.98 R 630

-29.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.86

$36.49 R 605

-17.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.68

$36.84 R 611

48.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.21

$17.39 R 288

49.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.61

$7.84 R 130

37.50%

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

$575 €513

$238 R 3,951

141.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$5,563 R 92.3K

135.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$58.6 R 972

58.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.27

$46.52 R 772

-12.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$109 R 1,805

-4.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$105 R 1,747

21.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$496 R 8,220

52.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$422 R 6,995

54.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,153

$979 R 16.2K

32.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,037

$892 R 14.8K

30.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,574

$964 R 16.0K

315.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,078

$757 R 12.5K

356.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,109

$1,755 R 29.1K

-29.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.91

-58.94%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Johannesburg

$422 29.9% 35.3% $231

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Johannesburg

$216 15.3% 31.5% $99

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Johannesburg

$173 12.2% 35.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Johannesburg

$302 21.4% 13.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Johannesburg

$144 10.2% 12.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Johannesburg

$53 3.7% 31% $24

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 125% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $496 in Johannesburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johannesburg pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $44.00 in Johannesburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $216 per month, with Johannesburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

05:04 5:04 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

4,434,827

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Johannesburg 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Johannesburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Johannesburg. 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: $756 in Athens versus $496 in Johannesburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Johannesburg – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,406 in Johannesburg – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,406 in Johannesburg versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Johannesburg but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Johannesburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Johannesburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,406 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Johannesburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.