Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Johnson City, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $2,138 in Johnson City, TN, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
Learn more

Johnson City, TN Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Johnson City, TN

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 Johnson City, TN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $2,138 in Johnson City, TN.

Athens $1,759
Johnson City, TN $2,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $3,133 in Johnson City, TN.

Athens $2,696
Johnson City, TN $3,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $4,129 in Johnson City, TN.

Athens $3,632
Johnson City, TN $4,129

Living in Athens costs roughly 18% less than in Johnson City, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Johnson City, TN 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.31

$13.78 $13.78

23.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.1

$53.9 $53.9

22.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$9.88 $9.88

10.93%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$5.14 $5.14

-20.23%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.88 $2.88

-1.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$2.03 $2.03

-70.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$4.93 $4.93

14.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$6.04 $6.04

-6.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.98 $0.98

93.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$3.75 $3.75

-61.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$3.97 $3.97

-31.74%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$3.11 $3.11

62.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.54

$7.53 $7.53

100.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$13.67 $13.67

-24.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.42

$13.09 $13.09

48.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$7.59 $7.59

-72.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.73 $1.73

10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$4.10 $4.10

-65.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$3.65 $3.65

-41.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$3.40 $3.40

-69.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$4.34 $4.34

-73.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.20 $2.20

-48.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$2.36 $2.36

-65.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$9.01 $9.01

-38.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.97

$13.14 $13.14

-23.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.61 $1.61

26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$4.42 $4.42

-48.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$0.97 $0.97

35.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.55

$25.13 $25.13

22.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$5.58 $5.58

-21.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.44 $1.44

-28.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$15.19 $15.19

12.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$0.83 $0.83

181.93%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$30.0K $30.0K

-5.82%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$24.7K $24.7K

8.31%

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

$200 €180

$172 $172

16.09%

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

$25.17 €22.61

$51.9 $51.9

-51.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$62.5 $62.5

-52.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.31

$47.20 $47.20

6.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

$20.14 $20.14

28.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.45

$11.88 $11.88

-11.45%

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

$576 €518

$1,185 $1,185

-51.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$14.6K $14.6K

-11.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$37.41 $37.41

139.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$30.80 $30.80

28.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$87.4 $87.4

20.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$94.4 $94.4

31.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$1,178 $1,178

-37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €577

$980 $980

-34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$1,992 $1,992

-34.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$1,616 $1,616

-30.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,603

$2,444 $2,444

64.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,950

$2,033 $2,033

61.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

$3,584 $3,584

-65.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.49

-30.97%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Johnson City, TN: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Johnson City, TN

$980 45.9% 52.5% $338

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Johnson City, TN

$388 18.1% 24.3% $76

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Johnson City, TN

$258 12.1% 5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Johnson City, TN

$287 13.4% 12.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Johnson City, TN

$113 5.3% 30.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.3% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Johnson City, TN

$42 2% 8% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $1,178 in Johnson City, TN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johnson City, TN pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $54 in Johnson City, TN. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $388, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

16:48 4:48 PM

6 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

66,027

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Johnson City, TN 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Johnson City, TN

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 Johnson City, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Johnson City, TN. 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 66% lower in Athens. 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: $740 in Athens versus $1,178 in Johnson City, TN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Johnson City, TN – a meal for two runs $54 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,759 per month in Athens versus $2,138 in Johnson City, TN – Athens is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,759 in Athens versus $2,138 in Johnson City, TN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Johnson City, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Athens 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 – Athens wins on affordability, Johnson City, TN on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.