Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Meilen

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $3,372 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 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
163

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
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Meilen Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Meilen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $3,372 in Meilen.

Athens $1,775
Meilen $3,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $5,942 in Meilen.

Athens $2,721
Meilen $5,942

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $8,512 in Meilen.

Athens $3,666
Meilen $8,512

Living in Athens costs roughly 47% less than in Meilen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Meilen 150% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$32.47 CHF 26.74

-48.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$122 CHF 101

-44.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$16.33 CHF 13.45

-31.78%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$6.31 CHF 5.19

-36.13%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$5.68 CHF 4.67

-51.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$5.01 CHF 4.13

-89.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$8.46 CHF 6.97

-32.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$8.29 CHF 6.83

-34.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.27 CHF 2.69

-57.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-25.93%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$7.49 CHF 6.17

-35.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$26.56 CHF 21.87

-43.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$25.69 CHF 21.16

-58.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$40.25 CHF 33.15

-54.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-35.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.03 CHF 1.67

-6.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.67 CHF 2.20

-48.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-54.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.96 CHF 1.61

-44.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-48.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-51.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.25 CHF 1.03

-29.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$11.03 CHF 9.09

-50.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$13.25 CHF 10.91

-23.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-5.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.23 CHF 2.66

-30.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-70.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$96.8 CHF 79.7

-69.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$7.55 CHF 6.21

-41.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-77.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$88.0 CHF 72.5

-80.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-0.44%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

-27.52%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-28.38%

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

$205 €182

$235 CHF 194

-13.07%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$36.06 CHF 29.70

-26.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$65.3 CHF 53.8

-53.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$88.1 CHF 72.6

-38.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$44.50 CHF 36.65

-41.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$21.90 CHF 18.04

-52.42%

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

$569 €506

$2,816 CHF 2,319

-79.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-70.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$137 CHF 113

-35.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$59.2 CHF 48.77

-31.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$144 CHF 118

-26.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$174 CHF 143

-30.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,690 CHF 1,392

-56.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,471 CHF 1,211

-55.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,831 CHF 2,332

-54.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$4,065 CHF 3,348

-71.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$15.8K CHF 13.0K

-74.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$11.9K CHF 9,812

-70.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$8,259 CHF 6,802

-84.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

1.72

160.47%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Meilen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Meilen

$1.5K 43.6% 125% $816

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Meilen

$570 16.9% 83.7% $260

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Meilen

$486 14.4% 81.3% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Meilen

$337 10% 28.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Meilen

$231 6.9% 44.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Meilen

$132 3.9% 75.1% $57

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Meilen

$145 4.3% 224% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,690 in Meilen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Meilen pays 565% 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 $122 in Meilen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $570 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Meilen

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

15:38 3:38 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

13,515

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Meilen 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Meilen

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 Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 90% lower than in Meilen. 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 565% lower in Meilen. 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 $1,690 in Meilen. 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 $122 in Meilen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $3,372 in Meilen – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $3,372 in Meilen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Meilen. 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 $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Meilen 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 90% less than in Meilen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.