Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mendrisio

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $3,034 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
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Mendrisio Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mendrisio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $3,034 in Mendrisio.

Athens $1,775
Mendrisio $3,034

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,758 in Mendrisio.

Athens $2,721
Mendrisio $3,758

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,483 in Mendrisio.

Athens $3,666
Mendrisio $4,483

Living in Athens costs roughly 42% less than in Mendrisio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Mendrisio 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$34.26 CHF 28.21

-51.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$177 CHF 146

-61.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$18.99 CHF 15.64

-41.34%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-16.04%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$5.41 CHF 4.46

-48.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-87.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$8.36 CHF 6.88

-31.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$7.03 CHF 5.79

-22.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-16.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.70 CHF 3.04

-62.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$4.15 CHF 3.42

-32.53%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$7.07 CHF 5.83

-31.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$25.44 CHF 20.95

-40.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$28.11 CHF 23.15

-62.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$39.04 CHF 32.15

-52.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-30.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.70 CHF 1.40

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.56 CHF 2.11

-46.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$6.49 CHF 5.35

-67.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.84 CHF 1.52

-41.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-47.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-52.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.16 CHF 0.96

-24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.74 CHF 8.84

-48.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$14.64 CHF 12.06

-30.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$3.36 CHF 2.77

-36.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$4.08 CHF 3.36

-44.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-55.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$7.07 CHF 5.82

-37.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$5.38 CHF 4.43

-81.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$78.3 CHF 64.5

-78.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.20 CHF 1.81

2.27%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

-19.04%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

-26.83%

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

$205 €182

$304 CHF 250

-32.63%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$25.15 CHF 20.71

5.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$48.38 CHF 39.85

-37.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$73.1 CHF 60.2

-25.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$21.74 CHF 17.91

-52.07%

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

$569 €506

$3,187 CHF 2,625

-82.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

-67.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$107 CHF 87.8

-16.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$47.52 CHF 39.14

-14.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$164 CHF 135

-36.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$166 CHF 137

-26.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,381 CHF 1,137

-46.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,199 CHF 987

-45.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$6,944 CHF 5,719

-82.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.37

89.03%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5% 83.1% $544

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Mendrisio

$594 19.6% 91.3% $283

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Mendrisio

$484 15.9% 80.4% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Mendrisio

$377 12.4% 44.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Mendrisio

$218 7.2% 36.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mendrisio

$117 3.8% 54.7% $41

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5% 2.7% $1.2

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 $1,381 in Mendrisio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mendrisio pays 459% 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 $177 in Mendrisio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $594 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

17:36 5:36 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

15,562

💱 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

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Between locations

Athens Mendrisio 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Athens
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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 Mendrisio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Mendrisio. 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 459% lower in Mendrisio. 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 $1,381 in Mendrisio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $3,187 in Mendrisio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $177 in Mendrisio. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $3,034 in Mendrisio, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Mendrisio. 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 Mendrisio 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 71% less than in Mendrisio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.