Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Kefalonia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kefalonia: $1,575 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Kefalonia
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Kefalonia Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Kefalonia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Kefalonia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,575 in Kefalonia.

Athens $1,779
Kefalonia $1,575

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,360 in Kefalonia.

Athens $2,721
Kefalonia $2,360

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $3,145 in Kefalonia.

Athens $3,663
Kefalonia $3,145

Living in Athens is roughly 13% more expensive than in Kefalonia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 32% above, Kefalonia 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$14.93 €13.30

12.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$38.50 €34.28

71.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$10.02 €8.92

11.88%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.11 €2.77

31.19%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$3.32 €2.96

-16.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.61 €0.54

-11.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$4.76 €4.24

19.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$5.29 €4.71

18.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.66 €1.48

10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.46 €1.30

-2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.60 €2.31

2.69%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$4.49 €4.00

10.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$13.09 €11.66

15.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$10.27 €9.14

7.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$14.85 €13.23

33.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.23 €1.98

-4.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.01 €1.79

-1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.41 €1.25

-5.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.09 €1.86

3.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.14 €1.01

-7.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.87 €0.78

-2.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$5.30 €4.72

3.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$6.63 €5.90

51.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.47 €2.20

-17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.51 €2.23

-5.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.40 €1.25

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$51.1 €45.48

-40.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$4.14 €3.69

-7.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.09 €0.97

-5.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$16.77 €14.93

-1.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.98 €1.76

18.18%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$27.4K €24.4K

1.37%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$25.7K €22.9K

3.38%

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

$202 €180

$280 €249

-27.78%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$22.62 €20.15

18.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$30.67 €27.31

-0.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$51.7 €46.01

4.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$25.29 €22.52

8.34%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$8.90 €7.93

17.30%

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

$568 €505

$404 €360

40.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$8,838 €7,870

71.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$88.3 €78.7

2.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$39.69 €35.34

-0.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$95.5 €85.0

10.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$124 €110

4.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$526 €468

41.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$428 €381

51.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$1,090 €971

16.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$806 €718

39.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$2,430 €2,163

64.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,967 €1,752

66.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,101 €980

13.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

4.48

-0.89%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kefalonia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Kefalonia

$428 27.2% 34% $220

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Kefalonia

$285 18.1% 9.9% $31

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Kefalonia

$237 15% 12.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Kefalonia

$333 21.2% 28.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Kefalonia

$156 9.9% 4.6% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Kefalonia

$69 4.4% 7.3% $5.5

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Kefalonia

$66 4.2% 47.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $526 in Kefalonia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 13% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $38 in Kefalonia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $285 per month, with Kefalonia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Kefalonia

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

36,404

💱 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 Kefalonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kefalonia wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kefalonia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% 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: $742 in Athens versus $526 in Kefalonia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kefalonia – a meal for two runs $38 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,575 in Kefalonia – Kefalonia is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kefalonia 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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Kefalonia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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