Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Markham

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $2,429 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Markham outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,429

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Markham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $2,429 in Markham.

Athens $1,771
Markham $2,429

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $3,533 in Markham.

Athens $2,736
Markham $3,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $4,638 in Markham.

Athens $3,701
Markham $4,638

Living in Athens costs roughly 27% less than in Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Markham 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$17.50 CA$24.74

-3.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$52.7 CA$74.5

29.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$10.50 CA$14.85

8.86%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$3.69 CA$5.22

10.03%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$1.77 CA$2.50

54.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.18 CA$1.67

-55.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$3.62 CA$5.11

57.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$5.71 CA$8.07

-0.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.92 CA$2.71

-3.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.26 CA$3.19

-36.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.91 CA$2.70

47.64%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$3.18 CA$4.49

52.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$11.96 CA$16.91

-13.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$6.92 CA$9.79

176.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$3.76 CA$5.32

-40.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.34 CA$1.89

43.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.32 CA$3.27

-39.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$3.24 CA$4.58

-37.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.02 CA$2.86

-48.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.98 CA$2.80

-40.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.85 CA$4.03

-62.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.49 CA$2.10

-43.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$13.22 CA$18.69

-58.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$14.59 CA$20.63

-30.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.40 CA$3.39

-11.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.12 CA$4.41

-26.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.10 CA$4.38

-55.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$91.7 CA$130

-67.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$3.39 CA$4.79

29.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$18.30 CA$25.88

-9.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.19 CA$1.68

100.00%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

2.97%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$21.4K CA$30.2K

27.24%

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

$203 €181

$126 CA$178

61.18%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$27.25 CA$38.52

-1.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$45.89 CA$64.9

-34.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$42.66 CA$60.3

25.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$21.28 CA$30.09

24.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$10.00 CA$14.14

5.90%

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

$566 €504

$878 CA$1,242

-35.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$27.5K CA$38.8K

-53.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$42.38 CA$59.9

110.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$38.11 CA$53.9

6.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$93.8 CA$133

10.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$106 CA$149

17.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$1,607 CA$2,271

-54.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$1,395 CA$1,972

-53.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$2,736 CA$3,868

-51.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$2,343 CA$3,312

-50.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$5,918 CA$8,367

-32.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$5,456 CA$7,714

-36.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$3,198 CA$4,520

-61.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.56

-1.75%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Markham

$1.4K 57.4% 116% $748

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Markham

$282 * 11.6% 9.8% $31

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Markham

$257 10.6% 5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Markham

$199 8.2% 23.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Markham

$126 5.2% 21.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Markham

$63 2.6% 16.3% $12

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Markham

$107 * 4.4% 141% $63

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 $1,607 in Markham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 158% 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 $53.0 in Markham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $282 per month, with Markham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

06:58 6:58 AM

7 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

338,503

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Markham 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Markham

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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Markham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 158% lower in Markham. 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 $1,607 in Markham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $53.0 in Markham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $2,429 in Markham – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $2,429 in Markham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Markham. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Markham 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.