Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Karabuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Karabuk: $1,021 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Karabuk
Learn more

Karabuk Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Karabuk

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Karabuk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,021 in Karabuk.

Athens $1,779
Karabuk $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,553 in Karabuk.

Athens $2,721
Karabuk $1,553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,085 in Karabuk.

Athens $3,663
Karabuk $2,085

Living in Athens is roughly 74% more expensive than in Karabuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$8.11 ₺407

107.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$24.37 ₺1,222

170.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$8.32 ₺417

34.74%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.57 ₺179

14.29%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.08 ₺54.2

156.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.27 ₺13.48

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.58 ₺79.4

260.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.85 ₺143

119.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.98 ₺49.17

87.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.94 ₺47.15

52.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.40 ₺120

11.25%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.66 ₺134

86.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$9.77 ₺490

54.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.88 ₺195

183.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$20.40 ₺1,023

-3.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.65 ₺82.6

28.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.98 ₺99.2

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.86 ₺43.29

54.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.16 ₺58.3

86.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.48 ₺23.99

120.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.43 ₺21.38

167.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.79 ₺39.78

36.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.61 ₺30.36

39.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.15 ₺108

153.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$8.04 ₺403

24.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.14 ₺107

-4.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.14 ₺107

11.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.80 ₺40.17

68.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.99 ₺49.62

284.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.88 ₺44.27

17.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$5.95 ₺298

177.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.26 ₺63.0

85.71%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$40.6K ₺2.0M

-31.64%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$48.5K ₺2.4M

-45.13%

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

$202 €180

$78.0 ₺3,912

159.29%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$10.18 ₺511

163.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$12.70 ₺637

140.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$54.5 ₺2,731

-0.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.01 ₺251

108.38%

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

$568 €505

$458 ₺23.0K

23.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$6,096 ₺305.8K

149.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$47.71 ₺2,393

90.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$53.0 ₺2,657

-25.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$118 ₺5,928

-10.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$102 ₺5,116

26.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$422 ₺21.2K

75.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$328 ₺16.5K

97.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$767 ₺38.5K

65.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$560 ₺28.1K

100.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,280 ₺64.2K

212.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,032 ₺51.8K

217.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,213 ₺60.8K

2.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-89.17%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Karabuk: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Karabuk

$328 32.2% 49.3% $320

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Karabuk

$223 21.8% 29.6% $94

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Karabuk

$152 14.9% 44.1% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Karabuk

$101 9.9% 61.1% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Karabuk

$144 14.1% 11.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Karabuk

$64 6.3% 14% $10

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Karabuk

$8.6 * 0.8% 80.8% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $422 in Karabuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 3% 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: $66 in Athens vs $24 in Karabuk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $223 per month, with Karabuk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 Karabuk

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

123,309

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Karabuk 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Karabuk

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 Karabuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karabuk wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Karabuk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $1,532 in Karabuk to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $422 in Karabuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $458 in Karabuk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Karabuk – a meal for two runs $24 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Karabuk is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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