Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,531 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Milan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $2,531 in Milan.

Athens $1,806
Milan $2,531

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $3,874 in Milan.

Athens $2,731
Milan $3,874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $5,216 in Milan.

Athens $3,656
Milan $5,216

Living in Athens costs roughly 29% less than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Milan 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.85

$22.62 €20.17

-26.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$88.2 €78.6

-24.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.86

$13.34 €11.90

-17.09%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.16 €1.93

91.67%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$3.67 €3.27

-23.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.82 €1.62

-68.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$6.85 €6.11

-17.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.76 €6.03

-19.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.71 €1.52

14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$3.28 €2.92

-57.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$3.67 €3.27

-22.89%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.49

$4.93 €4.40

2.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.68

$22.72 €20.26

-32.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.22

$14.25 €12.70

-27.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.92

$22.58 €20.13

-15.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.98 €2.65

-27.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.44 €2.18

-21.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.37 €3.00

-59.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.20 €3.75

-47.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.31 €2.06

-52.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$2.08 €1.85

-45.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.72 €1.54

-36.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.57 €0.51

45.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$7.31 €6.51

-23.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.08

$9.79 €8.73

4.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.03 €1.81

7.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.47 €2.21

-0.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.46 €2.19

-43.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.52

$43.94 €39.18

-29.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$7.80 €6.96

-43.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$2.27 €2.03

-54.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.26

$64.7 €57.7

-73.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.18 €1.95

5.96%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.0K €32.1K

-22.20%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$35.8K €31.9K

-21.76%

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

$210 €187

$252 €225

-16.81%

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

$26.70 €23.80

$10.22 €9.11

161.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.86

$29.41 €26.22

2.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.68

$85.6 €76.3

-36.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.21

$34.45 €30.72

-24.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.61

$12.14 €10.83

-11.20%

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

$575 €513

$837 €747

-31.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$19.1K €17.1K

-31.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$101 €90.5

-8.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.27

$49.73 €44.34

-18.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$117 €105

-11.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$166 €148

-22.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,715 €1,529

-55.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$1,158 €1,033

-43.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,153

$3,413 €3,043

-62.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,037

$2,066 €1,842

-43.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,574

$10.6K €9,470

-62.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,078

$5,004 €4,462

-31.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,109

$2,190 €1,952

-43.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.18

40.88%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Milan

$1.2K 45.3% 77.6% $506

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Milan

$415 16.2% 31.8% $100

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Milan

$317 12.4% 17.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Milan

$292 11.4% 9.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Milan

$195 7.6% 18.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Milan

$110 4.3% 44.2% $34

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Milan

$73 2.9% 58.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,715 in Milan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 76% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $88.0 in Milan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $415 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,394,798

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Milan 1,460 km ≈ 2 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 Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Milan. 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 76% lower in Milan. 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: $756 in Athens versus $1,715 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $88.0 in Milan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $2,531 in Milan – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,531 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Milan. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Milan 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 40% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.