Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Melun

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Melun: $1,771 and $1,687 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Melun
Learn more

Melun Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Melun

🇫🇷 France

$1,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Melun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,687 in Melun.

Athens $1,771
Melun $1,687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,511 in Melun.

Athens $2,736
Melun $2,511

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $3,335 in Melun.

Athens $3,701
Melun $3,335

Living in Athens is roughly 5% more expensive than in Melun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Melun 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$12.73 €11.32

32.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$53.1 €47.20

28.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$13.41 €11.93

-14.77%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$2.99 €2.66

35.79%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$1.68 €1.50

63.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.73 €1.54

-69.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$7.44 €6.62

-23.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$5.63 €5.00

0.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.32 €1.17

40.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.89 €1.68

-23.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.86 €2.54

-1.40%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$4.17 €3.70

16.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$21.19 €18.85

-27.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$12.88 €11.46

-19.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$22.95 €20.41

-16.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$3.31 €2.94

-32.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.12 €1.88

-9.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.35 €2.09

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$3.08 €2.74

-33.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.82 €1.62

-42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.99 €1.77

-41.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.77 €1.58

-38.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.63 €0.56

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$13.92 €12.38

-60.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$8.20 €7.29

24.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.46 €2.19

-13.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$4.27 €3.80

-46.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.95 €1.73

-29.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$47.25 €42.03

-37.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$2.21 €1.97

98.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.16 €1.92

-53.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$23.81 €21.18

-30.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.23 €1.98

6.73%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$34.1K €30.3K

-16.67%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$34.3K €30.5K

-20.57%

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

$203 €181

$197 €176

3.10%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$15.10 €13.43

77.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$28.14 €25.03

7.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$35.17 €31.29

52.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$9.97 €8.87

6.22%

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

$566 €504

$623 €554

-9.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$8,092 €7,197

58.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$86.6 €77.0

2.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$40.76 €36.25

-0.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$103 €92.1

0.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$102 €90.4

22.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$742 €660

-1.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$561 €499

15.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$1,193 €1,061

11.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$883 €785

32.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$3,959 €3,522

1.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$2,978 €2,649

16.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$2,499 €2,223

-50.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.92

14.29%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Melun: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Melun

$561 33.2% 13.4% $87

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Melun

$372 22.1% 19.2% $60

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Melun

$240 14.2% 11.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Melun

$241 14.3% 7.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Melun

$150 8.9% 7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Melun

$55 3.3% 26.4% $20

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Melun

$68 4% 52.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $742 in Melun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melun pays 101% 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 $53.0 in Melun. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $372, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇫🇷 Melun

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

07:56 7:56 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

42,367

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Melun 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Melun

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 Melun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melun wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Melun the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 101% lower in Melun. 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 $742 in Melun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Melun – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. 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 $1,687 in Melun – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,687 in Melun versus $1,771 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Melun but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Melun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Melun delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,687 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Melun hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Melun 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 Melun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.