Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and L'Aquila

For one person, living is cheaper in L'Aquila: $1,573 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in L'Aquila
Learn more

L'Aquila Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

L'Aquila

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,573

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in L'Aquila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,573 in L'Aquila.

Athens $1,775
L'Aquila $1,573

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,426 in L'Aquila.

Athens $2,721
L'Aquila $2,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,279 in L'Aquila.

Athens $3,666
L'Aquila $3,279

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, L'Aquila 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$22.60 €20.11

-26.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$66.4 €59.1

2.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$13.58 €12.08

-17.97%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.82 €1.62

121.43%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.77 €2.47

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.09 €0.97

-49.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.56 €4.94

3.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.35 €3.87

25.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.42 €1.27

28.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.88 €2.56

-52.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.24 €2.00

25.00%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.39 €3.02

42.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$17.89 €15.91

-15.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$12.31 €10.95

-13.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$17.90 €15.92

2.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.09 €1.86

5.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.92 €1.71

-1.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.19 €1.94

-37.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.84 €2.53

-26.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.67 €1.48

-35.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.74 €1.54

-35.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.55 €1.38

-27.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.40 €0.35

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.26 €5.57

-12.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.52 €4.91

83.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.27 €1.13

67.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.80 €1.60

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.72 €1.53

-20.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$38.51 €34.26

-22.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.31 €4.72

-16.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.43 €1.27

-28.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$24.84 €22.09

-31.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.01 €1.79

11.94%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$34.4K €30.6K

-18.53%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$35.7K €31.8K

-20.92%

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

$205 €182

$197 €175

3.97%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$14.90 €13.26

78.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$31.36 €27.90

-3.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$54.8 €48.71

-0.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$28.12 €25.01

-7.97%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.45 €7.52

23.31%

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

$569 €506

$135 €120

322.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$12.4K €11.1K

1.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$99.4 €88.4

-10.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$35.44 €31.53

14.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$98.3 €87.4

6.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$111 €98.4

9.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$546 €486

35.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$431 €383

51.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$842 €749

54.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$691 €615

66.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,781 €2,474

44.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,653 €1,471

109.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,848 €1,643

-32.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.02

48.34%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for L'Aquila: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

L'Aquila

$431 27.4% 34.2% $224

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

L'Aquila

$320 20.3% 3% $9.4

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

L'Aquila

$295 18.8% 10.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

L'Aquila

$243 15.5% 7.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

L'Aquila

$155 9.8% 3.3% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

L'Aquila

$72 4.6% 4.9% $3.7

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

L'Aquila

$58 3.7% 28.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $546 in L'Aquila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

L'Aquila pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $66.0 in L'Aquila. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $320, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇹 L'Aquila

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

69,753

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens L'Aquila 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
L'Aquila

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 L'Aquila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

L'Aquila wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making L'Aquila the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in L'Aquila. 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: $741 in Athens versus $546 in L'Aquila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in L'Aquila – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,573 in L'Aquila – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,573 in L'Aquila versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in L'Aquila but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes L'Aquila the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but L'Aquila delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,573 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes L'Aquila hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and L'Aquila 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 L'Aquila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.