Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Kirkwall

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Kirkwall

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $2,121 in Kirkwall.

Athens $1,771
Kirkwall $2,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $3,026 in Kirkwall.

Athens $2,736
Kirkwall $3,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $3,931 in Kirkwall.

Athens $3,701
Kirkwall $3,931

Living in Athens costs roughly 16% less than in Kirkwall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Kirkwall 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$23.63 £17.73

-28.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$94.8 £71.1

-27.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$10.57 £7.93

8.14%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$3.92 £2.94

3.57%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$3.26 £2.44

-15.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.31 £0.98

-59.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$6.20 £4.65

-8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$8.47 £6.36

-32.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.79 £0.59

134.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.58 £1.19

-8.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.05 £1.54

37.56%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$3.22 £2.42

50.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$6.59 £4.95

131.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$8.97 £6.73

15.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$15.90 £11.92

20.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.20 £1.65

0.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.97 £1.48

-2.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.57 £1.18

-10.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.32 £0.99

54.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.11 £0.83

-5.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.09 £0.82

7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.77 £0.58

40.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.08 £0.81

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$20.10 £15.08

-72.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$9.18 £6.89

10.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.71 £2.03

-21.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.88 £2.16

-20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$10.51 £7.89

-86.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$107 £80.4

-72.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$5.19 £3.90

-15.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.58 £1.93

-61.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$27.06 £20.30

-38.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.05 £1.54

16.10%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$37.8K £28.4K

-24.96%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$41.2K £30.9K

-33.86%

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

$203 €181

$282 £212

-27.98%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$30.12 £22.60

-11.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$33.04 £24.79

-8.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$41.73 £31.31

28.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$11.46 £8.60

-7.59%

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

$566 €504

$1,237 £928

-54.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$91.5 £68.7

-2.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$43.72 £32.80

-7.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$95.0 £71.3

9.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$138 £103

-9.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$935 £701

-22.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$792 £594

-18.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$1,182 £887

12.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$966 £725

21.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$1,914 £1,436

-35.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.07

-11.64%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Kirkwall

$792 37.3% 22.3% $144

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Kirkwall

$252 11.9% 19.3% $60

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Kirkwall

$334 15.8% 23.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Kirkwall

$346 16.3% 32.7% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Kirkwall

$165 7.8% 2.8% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Kirkwall

$65 3.1% 13.6% $10

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Kirkwall

$167 7.9% 275% $123

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $935 in Kirkwall. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kirkwall pays 54% 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 $95.0 in Kirkwall. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $252, with Kirkwall cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

20:23 8:23 PM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

7,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Kirkwall 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Kirkwall

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 Kirkwall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Kirkwall. 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 54% lower in Kirkwall. 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: $729 in Athens versus $935 in Kirkwall. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $95.0 in Kirkwall. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $2,121 in Kirkwall – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $2,121 in Kirkwall, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Kirkwall. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Kirkwall 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Kirkwall. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.