Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lubumbashi

For one person, living is cheaper in Lubumbashi: $1,228 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Lubumbashi
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Lubumbashi Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Lubumbashi

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lubumbashi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,228 in Lubumbashi.

Athens $1,775
Lubumbashi $1,228

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,727 in Lubumbashi.

Athens $2,721
Lubumbashi $2,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,226 in Lubumbashi.

Athens $3,666
Lubumbashi $4,226

Living in Athens is roughly 45% more expensive than in Lubumbashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Lubumbashi is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$9.91 CDF 22.5K

68.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$99.1 CDF 224.6K

-31.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.92 CDF 22.5K

12.30%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.03 CDF 9,131

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.08 CDF 2,458

156.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.99 CDF 4,508

188.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.54 CDF 5,756

114.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.96 CDF 4,446

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.22 CDF 2,764

13.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.18 CDF 7,204

-11.95%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.10 CDF 4,761

130.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$14.77 CDF 33.5K

1.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$7.70 CDF 17.4K

38.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$15.52 CDF 35.2K

18.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.96 CDF 11.2K

-55.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$3.07 CDF 6,960

-38.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.88 CDF 11.1K

-71.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.98 CDF 6,745

-29.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.56 CDF 5,810

-57.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.66 CDF 6,020

-57.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.98 CDF 2,220

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.22 CDF 2,774

-27.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$4.07 CDF 9,227

34.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$12.73 CDF 28.8K

-20.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.15 CDF 2,600

85.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.08 CDF 4,719

8.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.01 CDF 2,289

34.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.47 CDF 10.1K

-0.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$9.87 CDF 22.4K

71.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.48 CDF 3,361

52.03%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$25.1K CDF 56.8M

11.88%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$30.6K CDF 69.3M

-7.67%

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

$205 €182

$99.9 CDF 226.3K

104.85%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$20.13 CDF 45.6K

32.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$60.3 CDF 136.6K

-49.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$73.6 CDF 166.8K

-25.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

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

$569 €506

$132 CDF 297.9K

332.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$4,456 CDF 10.1M

182.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$22.35 CDF 50.6K

296.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$22.55 CDF 51.1K

79.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$59.1 CDF 133.9K

77.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$86.5 CDF 196.0K

40.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$862 CDF 2.0M

-14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$376 CDF 851.7K

74.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,522 CDF 5.7M

-48.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$2,051 CDF 4.6M

-44.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,012 CDF 2.3M

296.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$499 CDF 1.1M

593.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,064 CDF 2.4M

16.73%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Lubumbashi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Lubumbashi

$376 30.6% 42.6% $279

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Lubumbashi

$327 26.6% 5.3% $17

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Lubumbashi

$177 * 14.4% 34.1% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Lubumbashi

$180 14.7% 31.1% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Lubumbashi

$86 7% 46.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Lubumbashi

$74 * 6% 2.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Lubumbashi

$8.5 * 0.7% 81% $36

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 $741 in Athens and $862 in Lubumbashi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 17% 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 $99.0 in Lubumbashi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $327 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇩 Lubumbashi

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

16:59 4:59 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,139,064

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CDF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2,265 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD). 1 EUR = 2,547 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Lubumbashi 5,530 km ≈ 7 h 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 Lubumbashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lubumbashi wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lubumbashi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% 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: $741 in Athens versus $862 in Lubumbashi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $132 in Lubumbashi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lubumbashi – a meal for two runs $99.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,228 in Lubumbashi versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lubumbashi but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Lubumbashi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lubumbashi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,228 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lubumbashi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Lubumbashi 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 Lubumbashi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.