Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Kairouan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kairouan: $634 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Kairouan
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Kairouan Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Kairouan

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Kairouan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $634 in Kairouan.

Athens $1,775
Kairouan $634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $975 in Kairouan.

Athens $2,721
Kairouan $975

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,316 in Kairouan.

Athens $3,666
Kairouan $1,316

Living in Athens is roughly 180% more expensive than in Kairouan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Kairouan is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$2.66 TND 7.96

527.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$15.64 TND 46.83

333.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$6.17 TND 18.49

80.55%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$0.96 TND 2.87

319.79%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.80 TND 2.39

246.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.40 TND 1.20

37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.71 TND 5.11

235.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.64 TND 7.92

106.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.45 TND 1.36

304.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.07 TND 0.22

1871.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.75 TND 5.25

60.00%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.49 TND 4.45

224.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.01 TND 29.97

50.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.42 TND 16.22

96.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$11.92 TND 35.70

54.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.19 TND 6.57

0.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.28 TND 6.82

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.13 TND 3.38

21.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.77 TND 2.30

172.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.65 TND 1.94

66.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.62 TND 1.86

80.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.53 TND 1.57

111.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.26 TND 0.78

238.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.34 TND 10.00

64.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.85 TND 20.52

47.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.28 TND 3.84

66.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.55 TND 4.63

45.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.32 TND 0.95

325.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$9.94 TND 29.77

200.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.29 TND 0.86

1434.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.34 TND 1.00

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$1.76 TND 5.27

861.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.80 TND 2.39

181.25%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$39.1K TND 117.1K

-28.30%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$36.1K TND 108.3K

-21.90%

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

$205 €182

$60.0 TND 180

241.17%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$9.27 TND 27.77

187.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$20.01 TND 59.9

51.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$23.03 TND 69.0

136.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$12.53 TND 37.53

106.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$4.59 TND 13.75

127.02%

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

$569 €506

$106 TND 317

438.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$3,221 TND 9,647

290.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$23.58 TND 70.6

276.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$61.1 TND 183

-33.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$46.83 TND 140

124.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$87.5 TND 262

38.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$116 TND 347

540.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$155 TND 463

323.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$372 TND 1,115

249.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$271 TND 812

323.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$953 TND 2,855

320.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$609 TND 1,825

467.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$320 TND 959

287.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.28

-56.42%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kairouan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Kairouan

$155 24.4% 76.4% $500

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Kairouan

$176 27.7% 43.4% $135

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Kairouan

$70 11% 73.9% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Kairouan

$89 14.1% 65.9% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Kairouan

$99 15.6% 38.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Kairouan

$32 5.1% 57.2% $43

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Kairouan

$13 2.1% 70.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $116 in Kairouan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 288% 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 $16.00 in Kairouan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $176 per month, with Kairouan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇳 Kairouan

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

139,070

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Kairouan 1,240 km ≈ 2 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 Kairouan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kairouan wins on cost – living expenses run 180% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kairouan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 288% higher in Athens, 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: $741 in Athens versus $116 in Kairouan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kairouan – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. 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 $634 in Kairouan – a 180% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $634 in Kairouan versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kairouan but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Kairouan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kairouan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $634 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kairouan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Kairouan 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 Kairouan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 180% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.