Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $721 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
Learn more

Mombasa Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mombasa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $721 in Mombasa.

Athens $1,779
Mombasa $721

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,150 in Mombasa.

Athens $2,721
Mombasa $1,150

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,578 in Mombasa.

Athens $3,663
Mombasa $1,578

Living in Athens is roughly 147% more expensive than in Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Mombasa is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$2.75 KES 357

512.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$25.43 KES 3,303

159.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$10.28 KES 1,335

9.05%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.68 KES 348

52.24%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.69 KES 89.5

301.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.52 KES 67.4

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.34 KES 304

143.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.31 KES 430

89.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.98 KES 127

87.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.50 KES 64.8

186.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.53 KES 199

74.51%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.76 KES 228

181.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$13.92 KES 1,808

8.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.95 KES 642

122.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$5.41 KES 703

265.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.09 KES 271

1.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.19 KES 154

66.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.83 KES 237

-27.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.72 KES 93.2

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.72 KES 93.8

47.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.06 KES 138

8.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.60 KES 78.1

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.42 KES 54.6

102.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$4.10 KES 532

33.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.56 KES 1,241

4.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.92 KES 250

6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.85 KES 371

-16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.80 KES 104

68.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$38.88 KES 5,049

-21.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.17 KES 411

20.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.75 KES 227

-41.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$4.70 KES 611

250.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.60 KES 208

46.25%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$11.8K KES 1.5M

135.16%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

118.72%

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

$202 €180

$79.4 KES 10.3K

154.59%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$9.00 KES 1,168

197.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$35.29 KES 4,583

-13.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$17.93 KES 2,329

201.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$19.22 KES 2,496

42.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$15.25 KES 1,980

-31.54%

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

$568 €505

$87.3 KES 11.3K

550.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$5,448 KES 707.5K

178.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$12.90 KES 1,675

602.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$13.67 KES 1,775

187.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$23.36 KES 3,033

350.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$46.73 KES 6,068

175.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$229 KES 29.7K

223.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$158 KES 20.5K

310.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$533 KES 69.2K

138.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$373 KES 48.4K

200.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$5,392 KES 700.1K

-25.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$3,834 KES 497.9K

-14.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$313 KES 40.7K

297.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-65.85%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Mombasa

$158 21.9% 75.6% $490

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Mombasa

$185 25.7% 41.4% $131

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Mombasa

$108 15% 60.2% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Mombasa

$124 17.2% 52.3% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Mombasa

$43 6% 73.5% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mombasa

$48 6.7% 35.4% $27

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mombasa

$54 7.5% 20.3% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $229 in Mombasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $25 in Mombasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $185 per month, with Mombasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Mombasa 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mombasa wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mombasa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 4 times higher, 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 $229 in Mombasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mombasa – a meal for two runs $25 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 $721 in Mombasa – Mombasa is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $721 in Mombasa versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mombasa but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mombasa 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mombasa wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.