Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Karditsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Karditsa: $1,310 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Karditsa
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Karditsa Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Karditsa

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Karditsa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,310 in Karditsa.

Athens $1,759
Karditsa $1,310

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $1,965 in Karditsa.

Athens $2,696
Karditsa $1,965

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $2,621 in Karditsa.

Athens $3,632
Karditsa $2,621

Living in Athens is roughly 34% more expensive than in Karditsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 29% above, Karditsa is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.28

$11.10 €9.95

53.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.0

$58.3 €52.2

13.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.82

$7.91 €7.09

38.56%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.68

$2.98 €2.67

37.58%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$1.93 €1.73

46.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$0.59 €0.52

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.04

$4.54 €4.06

23.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.08

$5.12 €4.59

10.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.65 €1.48

15.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.31 €1.18

11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.21 €1.08

123.97%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.52

$3.16 €2.83

59.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.51

$11.25 €10.08

34.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.21

$9.87 €8.84

4.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.38

$14.42 €12.92

34.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.67 €1.50

26.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.09 €1.87

-8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.42 €1.27

-0.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$0.82 €0.73

159.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$0.85 €0.76

22.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.71 €0.63

59.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.86 €0.77

31.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.98 €0.88

-17.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.94

$5.50 €4.92

0.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.95

$7.44 €6.67

34.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$0.85 €0.76

140.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$0.87 €0.78

162.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.31 €1.17

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.48

$50.4 €45.20

-39.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.92

$2.18 €1.96

100.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.15 €1.03

-10.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.28

$16.87 €15.11

1.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.27 €2.04

3.08%

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

$28.3K €25.3K

-0.02%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$23.7K €21.3K

12.83%

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

$200 €179

$173 €155

15.56%

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

$25.17 €22.56

$25.89 €23.20

-2.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.57

$27.02 €24.22

9.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.20

$38.25 €34.28

31.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.24

$25.17 €22.56

3.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.43

$7.68 €6.88

36.98%

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

$576 €516

$479 €429

20.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$4,699 €4,211

175.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.4

$82.4 €73.9

8.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.46

$38.71 €34.69

2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.5

$79.8 €71.5

32.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$102 €91.3

21.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €663

$537 €481

37.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €576

$395 €354

62.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,169

$725 €650

79.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,004

$552 €495

102.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,595

$2,418 €2,167

65.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,943

$1,967 €1,763

66.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,097

$833 €746

46.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.38

2.28%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karditsa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Karditsa

$395 30.1% 38.6% $248

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Karditsa

$244 18.7% 21.7% $68

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Karditsa

$191 14.6% 29.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Karditsa

$226 17.3% 11.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Karditsa

$136 10.4% 15.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Karditsa

$54 4.1% 25% $18

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Karditsa

$64 4.9% 40% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $537 in Karditsa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 47% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $58 in Karditsa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $244 per month, with Karditsa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Karditsa

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

38,554

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Karditsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karditsa wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Karditsa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 47% 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: $740 in Athens versus $537 in Karditsa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karditsa – a meal for two runs $58 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 $1,310 in Karditsa – Karditsa is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,310 in Karditsa versus $1,759 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karditsa but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Karditsa 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 – Karditsa wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.