Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mersin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersin: $1,031 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Mersin
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Mersin Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Mersin

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,031

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mersin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,031 in Mersin.

Athens $1,779
Mersin $1,031

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,559 in Mersin.

Athens $2,721
Mersin $1,559

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,087 in Mersin.

Athens $3,663
Mersin $2,087

Living in Athens is roughly 73% more expensive than in Mersin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Mersin is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$6.88 ₺345

144.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$30.25 ₺1,517

118.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$7.46 ₺374

50.27%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.09 ₺155

32.04%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.31 ₺66.0

111.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.25 ₺12.52

116.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.35 ₺118

142.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.64 ₺132

137.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.98 ₺49.37

87.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.97 ₺48.52

47.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.76 ₺88.1

51.70%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.01 ₺101

146.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$9.41 ₺472

60.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.93 ₺197

179.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$17.78 ₺892

11.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.59 ₺79.9

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.88 ₺94.5

5.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.93 ₺46.59

43.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.28 ₺64.2

68.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.47 ₺23.38

125.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.40 ₺20.08

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.85 ₺42.86

27.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.60 ₺30.08

41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.06 ₺103

165.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.90 ₺497

1.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.32 ₺116

-12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.29 ₺165

-27.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.66 ₺33.13

104.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$19.75 ₺991

54.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.98 ₺49.17

288.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.87 ₺43.50

18.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$9.91 ₺497

66.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.31 ₺65.6

78.63%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$41.2K ₺2.1M

-32.57%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$41.8K ₺2.1M

-36.33%

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

$202 €180

$90.3 ₺4,526

124.07%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$9.24 ₺464

190.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$10.16 ₺510

200.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$60.0 ₺3,009

-9.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$18.34 ₺920

49.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.97 ₺300

74.87%

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

$568 €505

$444 ₺22.3K

27.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$6,961 ₺349.1K

118.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$54.0 ₺2,707

67.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$29.58 ₺1,484

32.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$113 ₺5,686

-7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$106 ₺5,308

21.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$435 ₺21.8K

70.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$331 ₺16.6K

95.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$752 ₺37.7K

68.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$526 ₺26.4K

113.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,221 ₺61.2K

227.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$945 ₺47.4K

247.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$814 ₺40.8K

52.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

41.5

-89.30%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mersin: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Mersin

$331 32.2% 48.9% $317

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Mersin

$216 21% 31.7% $100

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Mersin

$138 13.4% 49.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Mersin

$110 10.6% 57.7% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Mersin

$136 13.2% 16.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mersin

$72 7% 4% $3

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mersin

$28 2.7% 38.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $435 in Mersin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 53% 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: $66 in Athens vs $30 in Mersin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $216 per month, with Mersin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 Mersin

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,773,852

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Mersin 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Mersin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mersin wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mersin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $435 in Mersin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mersin – a meal for two runs $30 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,031 in Mersin – Mersin is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,031 in Mersin versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mersin but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mersin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Mersin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.