Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Manisa

For one person, living is cheaper in Manisa: $958 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athens, Greece
Manisa, Turkey
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,779
/mo nomad
Manisa
🇹🇷 Turkey
$958
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Manisa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $958 in Manisa.

  • Athens $1,779
  • Manisa $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,511 in Manisa.

  • Athens $2,721
  • Manisa $1,511

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,064 in Manisa.

  • Athens $3,663
  • Manisa $2,064

Living in Athens is roughly 86% more expensive than in Manisa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Manisa is 29% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Manisa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.83 €14.99
$8.01 ₺402
110.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.0 €58.8
$26.09 ₺1,308
152.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.21 €9.98
$7.71 ₺387
45.40%
Cappuccino
$4.08 €3.64
$2.96 ₺148
37.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 €2.47
$0.98 ₺49.33
182.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.48
$0.24 ₺12.03
125.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.70 €5.07
$2.16 ₺108
163.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.26 €5.58
$3.23 ₺162
93.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Manisa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.64
$1.00 ₺50.1
84.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 €1.27
$0.77 ₺38.85
85.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 €2.38
$2.40 ₺121
11.25%
Eggs
$4.95 €4.41
$1.70 ₺85.1
191.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.09 €13.44
$6.83 ₺343
120.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.99 €9.79
$3.89 ₺195
182.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.77 €17.60
$19.15 ₺961
3.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.12 €1.89
$1.78 ₺89.4
19.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 €1.76
$1.63 ₺81.7
21.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 €1.18
$1.21 ₺60.9
9.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.07 ₺53.9
101.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 €0.94
$0.44 ₺21.89
140.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 €1.02
$0.40 ₺20.22
187.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 €0.96
$0.74 ₺37.25
45.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.75
$0.66 ₺33.18
28.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.46 €4.86
$1.69 ₺84.6
223.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.03 €8.93
$10.47 ₺525
-4.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.82
$2.15 ₺108
-5.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 €2.12
$2.03 ₺102
17.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Manisa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 €1.20
$0.61 ₺30.77
121.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.52 €27.18
$41.97 ₺2,105
-27.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 €3.39
$2.59 ₺130
47.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 €0.92
$0.63 ₺31.59
63.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.49 €14.68
$5.08 ₺255
224.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.34 €2.09
$1.31 ₺65.8
78.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K €24.7K
$40.5K ₺2.0M
-31.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K €23.7K
$38.4K ₺1.9M
-30.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Manisa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 €180
$80.6 ₺4,042
150.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.81 €23.87
$14.46 ₺725
85.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.49 €27.14
$8.08 ₺405
277.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Manisa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 €48.14
$64.6 ₺3,238
-16.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.40 €24.40
$31.24 ₺1,567
-12.29%
Cinema Ticket
$10.44 €9.30
$4.05 ₺203
157.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Manisa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$568 €505
$372 ₺18.7K
52.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.2K €13.5K
$7,850 ₺393.7K
93.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Manisa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.7 €80.7
$36.12 ₺1,812
150.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.32 €35.01
$26.18 ₺1,313
50.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.7
$51.2 ₺2,566
105.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 €115
$58.8 ₺2,950
119.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Manisa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$742 €661
$505 ₺25.3K
47.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$648 €577
$300 ₺15.1K
116.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,271 €1,132
$991 ₺49.7K
28.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,122 €999
$595 ₺29.8K
88.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,999 €3,561
$1,832 ₺91.9K
118.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,281 €2,921
$1,208 ₺60.6K
171.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Manisa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,245 €1,109
$1,665 ₺83.5K
-25.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.44
43.33
-89.75%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Manisa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$648
Manisa
$300 53.7% $348
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$316
Manisa
$209 33.9% $107
Eating Out
Athens
$272
Manisa
$145 46.7% $127
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$260
Manisa
$103 60.3% $156
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$164
Manisa
$78 52.7% $86
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$75
Manisa
$73 3.1% $2.3
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Manisa
$50 11.8% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $505 in Manisa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manisa pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $26 in Manisa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $209 per month, with Manisa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇹🇷 Manisa
🕒 Local time
04:11 4:11 AM
05:11 5:11 AM
1 h ahead of Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
1,396,945
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Manisa 330 km
From you
  • 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 Manisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Manisa?
Manisa wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Manisa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Manisa?
On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Athens. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athens compared to Manisa?
Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $505 in Manisa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Manisa?
Dining out is cheaper in Manisa – a meal for two runs $26 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Athens compared to Manisa?
All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $958 in Manisa – Manisa is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Athens or Manisa?
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.

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