Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Kos

For one person, living is cheaper in Kos: $1,506 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
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Kos Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Kos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,506 in Kos.

Athens $1,759
Kos $1,506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $2,265 in Kos.

Athens $2,696
Kos $2,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $3,024 in Kos.

Athens $3,632
Kos $3,024

Living in Athens is roughly 17% more expensive than in Kos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Kos 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.31

$13.93 €12.51

22.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.1

$66.4 €59.7

-0.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$11.25 €10.10

-2.58%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$4.01 €3.61

2.24%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$3.09 €2.77

-8.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$1.11 €0.99

-46.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$4.34 €3.90

29.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$6.53 €5.87

-13.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.42 €2.17

-21.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.62 €1.46

-9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.61 €2.34

3.83%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$4.61 €4.14

9.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.54

$13.08 €11.75

15.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$10.17 €9.13

1.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.42

$15.05 €13.52

28.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$2.20 €1.97

-3.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.00 €1.80

-4.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.36 €1.22

3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.04 €1.83

4.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$1.13 €1.01

-7.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.14 €1.02

-0.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.09 €0.98

3.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.84 €0.76

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$5.39 €4.84

2.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.97

$6.76 €6.07

47.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$2.01 €1.81

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.56 €2.30

-10.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.83 €1.64

-28.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.55

$49.85 €44.78

-38.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$4.09 €3.67

6.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.13 €1.02

-8.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$16.47 €14.80

3.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.09 €1.88

11.96%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$28.0K €25.1K

1.05%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$25.1K €22.6K

6.59%

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

$200 €180

$201 €181

-0.79%

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

$25.17 €22.61

$22.92 €20.59

9.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$34.73 €31.20

-14.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.31

$50.6 €45.49

-0.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

$28.52 €25.62

-9.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.45

$8.80 €7.90

19.55%

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

$576 €518

$417 €375

38.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$9,025 €8,107

43.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$89.0 €79.9

0.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$40.15 €36.07

-1.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$92.5 €83.1

13.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$123 €110

1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$610 €548

21.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €577

$420 €377

52.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$715 €642

82.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$587 €527

90.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,603

$2,594 €2,330

54.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,950

$2,012 €1,807

63.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

$902 €810

35.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kos: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Kos

$420 27.9% 34.6% $223

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Kos

$292 19.4% 6.4% $20

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Kos

$245 16.3% 9.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Kos

$259 17.2% 1.7% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Kos

$155 10.3% 4% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Kos

$68 4.5% 4.5% $3.3

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Kos

$67 4.4% 47.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $610 in Kos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 36% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $66 in Kos. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $292, with Kos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Kos

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

30,947

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Kos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kos wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 36% 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 $610 in Kos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Athens versus $417 in Kos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Athens runs roughly 38% less than in Kos. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kos 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 Kos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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