Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Melissia

For one person, living is cheaper in Melissia: $1,449 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Melissia
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Melissia Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Melissia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Melissia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,449 in Melissia.

Athens $1,759
Melissia $1,449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $2,216 in Melissia.

Athens $2,696
Melissia $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $2,983 in Melissia.

Athens $3,632
Melissia $2,983

Living in Athens is roughly 21% more expensive than in Melissia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Melissia 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.27

$11.12 €9.96

53.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.0

$57.8 €51.8

13.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.81

$8.82 €7.90

24.26%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.68

$4.19 €3.75

-2.15%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.34 €2.09

20.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.04

$4.43 €3.97

26.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.08

$4.89 €4.38

15.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.81 €1.62

4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.45 €1.30

0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.67 €2.39

1.50%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.52

$5.27 €4.72

-4.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.50

$12.08 €10.82

24.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.20

$10.06 €9.01

2.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.37

$19.36 €17.34

0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.22 €1.99

-4.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.90 €1.70

0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.35 €1.21

4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$1.16 €1.04

-10.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.09 €0.98

3.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.90 €0.80

25.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.16 €1.04

-30.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.94

$5.64 €5.06

-2.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.95

$9.93 €8.89

0.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.07 €1.86

-1.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.39 €2.14

-4.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.37 €1.23

-4.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.47

$54.8 €49.09

-44.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.91

$4.46 €3.99

-2.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.04 €0.93

-0.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.27

$16.50 €14.78

3.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.21 €1.98

5.88%

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

$28.3K €25.3K

$27.6K €24.7K

2.52%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$24.4K €21.8K

9.81%

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

$200 €179

$199 €178

0.31%

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

$25.17 €22.55

$25.51 €22.85

-1.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.56

$28.69 €25.69

3.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.17

$53.0 €47.49

-4.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.23

$22.20 €19.88

16.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.43

$9.56 €8.56

10.04%

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

$576 €516

$466 €417

23.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$4,741 €4,246

172.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.3

$90.4 €80.9

-0.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.44

$39.22 €35.13

0.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.4

$101 €90.1

4.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

-0.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €663

$461 €413

60.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €576

$379 €339

69.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,169

$730 €654

78.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,004

$617 €552

81.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,593

$2,471 €2,213

62.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,941

$1,934 €1,733

69.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,096

$1,368 €1,225

-10.53%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Melissia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Melissia

$379 26.1% 41.1% $264

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Melissia

$306 21.1% 2.1% $6.4

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Melissia

$209 14.5% 22.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Melissia

$253 17.5% 0.5% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Melissia

$160 11% 1.1% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Melissia

$72 5% 1% $0.7

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Melissia

$70 4.8% 53.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $461 in Melissia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melissia pays 12% 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 $58 in Melissia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $306 per month, with Melissia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Melissia

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

15,588

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Melissia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melissia wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Melissia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $740 in Athens versus $461 in Melissia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Athens versus $466 in Melissia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Melissia – a meal for two runs $58 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Melissia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Melissia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.