Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Middelburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $1,089 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Middelburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,089

/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 $1,089 in Middelburg.

Athens $1,775
Middelburg $1,089

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,696 in Middelburg.

Athens $2,721
Middelburg $1,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,303 in Middelburg.

Athens $3,666
Middelburg $2,303

Living in Athens is roughly 63% more expensive than in Middelburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Middelburg is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$9.75 R 161

71.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$35.51 R 585

90.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.72 R 94.3

94.76%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.35 R 22.19

198.52%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.85 R 14.06

225.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.60 R 9.95

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.17 R 19.31

390.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$1.54 R 25.41

253.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.14 R 18.78

59.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.08 R 17.83

27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.51 R 24.91

85.43%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.70 R 28.01

184.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$5.93 R 97.7

153.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.13 R 84.6

107.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$6.54 R 108

181.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.64 R 26.95

34.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.08 R 17.83

75.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.15 R 19.00

19.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.23 R 20.30

70.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.68 R 27.62

-35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.19 R 19.64

-5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.19 R 19.59

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.95 R 15.71

-7.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$2.41 R 39.66

127.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.95 R 81.5

104.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.85 R 30.47

15.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.04 R 33.65

10.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.44 R 23.77

-5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$42.42 R 699

-29.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.59 R 9.66

654.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.87 R 14.38

17.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$11.56 R 190

46.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.32 R 21.81

70.45%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.1K R 577.9K

-20.08%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$32.1K R 528.4K

-11.97%

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

$205 €182

$145 R 2,382

41.53%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$34.32 R 565

-22.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$37.05 R 610

-18.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$31.85 R 525

71.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$10.78 R 178

140.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.19 R 118

44.92%

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

$569 €506

$243 R 4,005

134.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,359 R 88.3K

134.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$53.1 R 874

67.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$32.83 R 541

23.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$98.5 R 1,623

6.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$88.3 R 1,455

37.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$387 R 6,369

91.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$354 R 5,836

84.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$736 R 12.1K

76.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$742 R 12.2K

54.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$878 R 14.5K

357.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$665 R 10.9K

420.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,193 R 19.6K

4.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.94

-59.05%

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 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Middelburg

$354 32.5% 45.9% $300

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Middelburg

$170 15.7% 45.1% $140

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Middelburg

$126 11.6% 53% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Middelburg

$216 19.8% 17.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Middelburg

$123 11.3% 23.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Middelburg

$46 4.3% 38.6% $29

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Middelburg

$53 4.9% 18.4% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $387 in Middelburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 4% 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 $36.00 in Middelburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $170 per month, with Middelburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Middelburg

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

87,348

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Middelburg 7,110 km ≈ 9 h 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

Middelburg wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Middelburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4% 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: $741 in Athens versus $387 in Middelburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Middelburg – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,089 in Middelburg – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,089 in Middelburg versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Middelburg but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Middelburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Middelburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,089 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Middelburg 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 Middelburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.