Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Korla

For one person, living is cheaper in Korla: $674 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Korla
Learn more

Korla Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Korla

🇨🇳 China

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Korla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $674 in Korla.

Athens $1,806
Korla $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,045 in Korla.

Athens $2,731
Korla $1,045

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,417 in Korla.

Athens $3,656
Korla $1,417

Living in Athens is roughly 168% more expensive than in Korla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Korla is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.85

$2.93 ¥19.63

468.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$16.48 ¥110

301.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.86

$5.13 ¥34.35

115.59%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.81 ¥18.80

47.33%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$0.46 ¥3.08

508.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.24 ¥1.60

137.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$0.85 ¥5.69

563.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.46 ¥9.75

273.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.26 ¥8.43

55.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.93 ¥6.20

51.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$0.60 ¥4.01

371.67%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.49

$1.60 ¥10.72

215.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.68

$6.08 ¥40.69

152.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.22

$2.50 ¥16.73

313.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.92

$9.64 ¥64.5

96.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.05 ¥13.69

5.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.27 ¥8.53

50.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.81 ¥12.13

-23.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.74 ¥4.94

197.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.51 ¥3.41

115.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.61 ¥4.09

85.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.50 ¥3.32

120.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.45 ¥3.01

84.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$2.89 ¥19.36

93.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.08

$10.34 ¥69.2

-1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.09 ¥7.27

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.51 ¥10.14

62.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.29 ¥1.93

375.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.52

$17.95 ¥120

71.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$1.32 ¥8.82

231.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.23 ¥1.55

352.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.26

$7.54 ¥50.5

126.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.19 ¥7.99

94.12%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$17.6K ¥118.0K

58.72%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$14.0K ¥93.4K

100.72%

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

$210 €187

$68.0 ¥455

208.27%

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

$26.70 €23.80

$5.25 ¥35.18

408.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.86

$11.33 ¥75.9

165.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.68

$41.17 ¥276

32.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.21

$14.99 ¥100

73.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.61

$5.19 ¥34.75

107.71%

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

$575 €513

$164 ¥1,094

251.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$9,042 ¥60.5K

45.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$18.16 ¥122

413.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.27

$22.26 ¥149

82.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$105 ¥706

-1.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$43.90 ¥294

192.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$290 ¥1,940

160.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$184 ¥1,230

255.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,153

$593 ¥3,967

118.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,037

$372 ¥2,489

212.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,574

$3,195 ¥21.4K

25.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,078

$1,922 ¥12.9K

79.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,109

$754 ¥5,049

64.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.39

32.15%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Korla: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Korla

$184 27.5% 71.8% $469

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Korla

$158 23.7% 49.7% $156

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Korla

$83 12.4% 69.3% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Korla

$85 12.7% 68.3% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Korla

$85 12.8% 48.2% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Korla

$52 7.7% 32.3% $25

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Korla

$22 3.2% 53% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $290 in Korla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 65% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $16.00 in Korla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $158 per month, with Korla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇳 Korla

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

13:09 1:09 PM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

779,352

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Korla 5,230 km ≈ 7 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 Korla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Korla wins on cost – living expenses run 168% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Korla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 65% 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: $756 in Athens versus $290 in Korla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Korla – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $674 in Korla – a 168% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $674 in Korla versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Korla but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Korla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Korla delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $674 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Korla hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Korla 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 Korla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.