Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Middelburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,283 in Middelburg, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Middelburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Middelburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,283 in Middelburg.

Athens $1,775
Middelburg $2,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,354 in Middelburg.

Athens $2,721
Middelburg $3,354

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,425 in Middelburg.

Athens $3,666
Middelburg $4,425

Living in Athens costs roughly 22% less than in Middelburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Middelburg 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$13.10 €11.65

27.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$89.9 €80.0

-24.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$12.20 €10.86

-8.69%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.11 €3.65

-1.95%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.41 €3.04

-18.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$3.19 €2.84

-82.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$7.01 €6.23

-18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.89 €6.13

-20.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.36 €1.21

33.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.21 €1.96

-37.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.97 €1.76

42.13%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.45 €3.95

8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$12.33 €10.96

22.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$12.89 €11.47

-17.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$19.18 €17.06

-3.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.68 €2.39

-17.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.25 €2.00

-15.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.03 €1.80

-32.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.55 €3.16

-40.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.29 €1.15

-16.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.14 €1.02

-1.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.92 €0.82

-4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$11.61 €10.32

-52.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.78 €5.14

75.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.35 €1.20

57.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.86 €1.65

20.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.59 €4.09

-3.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$3.46 €3.08

-70.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$33.26 €29.58

-49.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.32 €2.06

-3.02%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$41.7K €37.1K

-32.73%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.1K €33.9K

-26.00%

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

$205 €182

$142 €127

43.77%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$28.79 €25.60

-7.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$53.9 €47.91

-43.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$45.01 €40.03

21.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$14.09 €12.53

83.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.14 €9.02

2.76%

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

$569 €506

$2,381 €2,117

-76.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$11.7K €10.4K

7.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$95.4 €84.9

-7.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$43.76 €38.93

-7.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$106 €94.2

-0.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$140 €124

-13.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,407 €1,252

-47.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,215 €1,081

-46.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,045 €1,819

-36.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,874 €1,667

-38.76%

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

$4,112 €3,658

-69.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.4

31.76%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Middelburg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Middelburg

$1.2K 53.2% 85.7% $561

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Middelburg

$317 13.9% 2.1% $6.4

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Middelburg

$266 11.6% 0.8% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Middelburg

$225 9.9% 14% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Middelburg

$173 7.6% 8.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Middelburg

$65 2.9% 13.3% $10

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Middelburg

$22 * 1% 51.2% $23

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 $1,407 in Middelburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg pays 231% 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 $90.0 in Middelburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $317 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇱 Middelburg

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

17:36 5:36 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

40,345

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Middelburg 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 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 Middelburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Middelburg. 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 231% lower in Middelburg. 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 $1,407 in Middelburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $2,381 in Middelburg. 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 $90.0 in Middelburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,283 in Middelburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Middelburg. 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 Middelburg 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 29% less than in Middelburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.