Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lecce

For one person, living is cheaper in Lecce: $1,456 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Lecce
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Lecce Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Lecce

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lecce

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,456 in Lecce.

Athens $1,771
Lecce $1,456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,334 in Lecce.

Athens $2,736
Lecce $2,334

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $3,213 in Lecce.

Athens $3,701
Lecce $3,213

Living in Athens is roughly 22% more expensive than in Lecce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Lecce 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$17.08 €15.19

-1.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$66.6 €59.2

2.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$10.20 €9.07

12.06%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$2.00 €1.78

103.00%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$2.09 €1.85

31.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.10 €0.98

-51.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$4.02 €3.58

41.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$3.28 €2.92

73.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.45 €1.29

27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.81 €1.61

-20.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.27 €2.02

24.23%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$2.51 €2.23

93.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$12.12 €10.78

25.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$11.66 €10.37

-11.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$16.05 €14.28

19.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.17 €1.93

2.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.88 €1.67

2.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.88 €1.67

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$3.63 €3.23

-43.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.64 €1.46

-35.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.63 €1.45

-28.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.14 €1.01

-5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.41 €0.36

104.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$6.56 €5.83

-16.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$6.56 €5.83

55.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.39 €1.23

53.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.39 €2.13

-4.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$5.49 €4.89

-20.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.25 €2.00

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$23.73 €21.11

-29.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.02 €1.80

17.82%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$35.9K €31.9K

-20.82%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$35.0K €31.1K

-22.24%

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

$203 €181

$169 €150

20.37%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$11.59 €10.31

131.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$28.28 €25.15

6.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$83.7 €74.5

-35.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$55.8 €49.66

-52.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$8.52 €7.57

24.30%

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

$566 €504

$568 €505

-0.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$5,010 €4,457

156.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$82.1 €73.0

8.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$47.34 €42.11

-14.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$87.8 €78.1

18.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$79.9 €71.1

55.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$598 €532

21.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$475 €423

36.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$1,224 €1,089

8.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$914 €813

27.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$3,043 €2,707

32.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$1,578 €1,404

120.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$1,642 €1,461

-24.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.82

-7.05%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lecce: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Lecce

$475 32.6% 26.6% $172

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Lecce

$285 19.6% 8.9% $28

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Lecce

$231 15.8% 14.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Lecce

$209 14.4% 19.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Lecce

$134 9.2% 16.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Lecce

$101 6.9% 34.6% $26

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Lecce

$22 * 1.5% 50.1% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $598 in Lecce. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lecce pays 32% 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 $67.0 in Lecce for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $285 per month, with Lecce cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇹 Lecce

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

18:51 6:51 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

94,773

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Lecce 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Athens
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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 Lecce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lecce wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lecce the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Lecce. 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 $598 in Lecce. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $566 in Athens versus $568 in Lecce. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lecce – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,456 in Lecce versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lecce but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Lecce the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lecce delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,456 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lecce hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Lecce 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 Lecce gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.