Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Margate

For one person, living is cheaper in Margate: $889 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Margate

🇿🇦 South Africa

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Margate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $889 in Margate.

Athens $1,775
Margate $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,410 in Margate.

Athens $2,721
Margate $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,932 in Margate.

Athens $3,666
Margate $1,932

Living in Athens is roughly 100% more expensive than in Margate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Margate is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$7.83 R 129

113.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$35.95 R 592

88.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.97 R 98.4

86.60%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.80 R 29.58

123.89%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.03 R 16.99

168.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.76 R 12.60

-27.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.43 R 39.96

136.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.27 R 37.38

140.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.02 R 16.77

78.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.92 R 15.10

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.05 R 17.37

166.67%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.36 R 38.87

104.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$4.98 R 82.0

202.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$3.37 R 55.6

215.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$6.05 R 99.7

204.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.15 R 18.87

91.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.19 R 19.54

59.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.05 R 17.37

30.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.44 R 23.78

45.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.08 R 17.78

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.30 R 21.43

-13.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.09 R 17.96

2.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.95 R 15.63

-7.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$1.58 R 26.04

246.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$3.49 R 57.5

190.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.45 R 23.92

46.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.81 R 29.90

24.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.52 R 25.09

-10.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.41 R 6.75

985.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.74 R 12.23

37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$7.46 R 123

126.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.35 R 22.31

66.67%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.5K R 584.5K

-20.99%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$30.9K R 508.8K

-8.59%

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

$205 €182

$60.9 R 1,003

236.02%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$18.27 R 301

45.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$33.36 R 550

-8.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$32.27 R 532

68.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$10.59 R 174

144.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$4.12 R 68.0

152.91%

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

$569 €506

$304 R 5,016

86.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$7,507 R 123.7K

67.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$54.2 R 893

63.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$18.33 R 302

120.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$71.8 R 1,183

46.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$48.57 R 800

149.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$396 R 6,527

87.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$366 R 6,028

78.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$741 R 12.2K

75.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$722 R 11.9K

59.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$888 R 14.6K

352.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$666 R 11.0K

419.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,528 R 25.2K

-18.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.78

-61.97%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Margate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Margate

$366 41.2% 44.1% $289

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Margate

$147 16.5% 52.7% $164

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Margate

$126 14.2% 53% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Margate

$113 12.7% 57% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Margate

$87 9.8% 45.7% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Margate

$41 4.6% 46.2% $35

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Margate

$10 * 1.2% 77.3% $35

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 $396 in Margate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 23% 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 $36.00 in Margate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $147 per month, with Margate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Margate

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

34,407

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Margate 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Margate

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 Margate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Margate wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Margate the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Margate. 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 $396 in Margate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $304 in Margate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Margate – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $889 in Margate versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Margate but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Margate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Margate delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $889 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Margate hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Margate 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 Margate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.