Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mugla

For one person, living is cheaper in Mugla: $966 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athens, Greece
Mugla, Turkey
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,779
/mo nomad
Mugla
🇹🇷 Turkey
$966
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mugla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $966 in Mugla.

  • Athens $1,779
  • Mugla $966

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,504 in Mugla.

  • Athens $2,721
  • Mugla $1,504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,041 in Mugla.

  • Athens $3,663
  • Mugla $2,041

Living in Athens is roughly 84% more expensive than in Mugla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Mugla is 29% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Mugla
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.83 €14.99
$10.12 ₺506
66.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.0 €58.8
$42.66 ₺2,135
54.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.21 €9.99
$9.08 ₺455
23.46%
Cappuccino
$4.08 €3.64
$4.12 ₺206
-0.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 €2.47
$1.99 ₺99.6
39.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.48
$0.54 ₺26.93
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.70 €5.08
$3.62 ₺181
57.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.26 €5.58
$4.90 ₺245
27.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Mugla
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.64
$1.04 ₺52.2
76.92%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 €1.27
$1.02 ₺51.1
40.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 €2.38
$1.89 ₺94.7
41.27%
Eggs
$4.95 €4.41
$2.47 ₺124
100.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.09 €13.45
$8.98 ₺450
68.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.99 €9.79
$4.35 ₺217
152.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.77 €17.61
$19.51 ₺976
1.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.12 €1.89
$1.65 ₺82.4
28.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 €1.76
$1.77 ₺88.5
11.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 €1.19
$0.96 ₺47.85
38.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.39 ₺69.8
55.40%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 €0.94
$0.45 ₺22.57
135.56%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 €1.02
$0.31 ₺15.50
270.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 €0.97
$0.75 ₺37.41
44.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.75
$0.65 ₺32.41
30.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.46 €4.86
$2.19 ₺110
149.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.03 €8.93
$9.26 ₺464
8.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.82
$2.20 ₺110
-7.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 €2.12
$2.06 ₺103
15.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Mugla
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 €1.20
$1.19 ₺59.5
13.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.52 €27.19
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 €3.39
$0.83 ₺41.36
359.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 €0.92
$0.98 ₺49.14
5.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.49 €14.68
$4.70 ₺235
250.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.34 €2.09
$1.40 ₺70.1
67.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K €24.7K
$46.0K ₺2.3M
-39.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K €23.7K
$39.5K ₺2.0M
-32.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Mugla
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 €180
$72.1 ₺3,609
180.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.81 €23.88
$11.27 ₺564
137.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.49 €27.16
$15.57 ₺779
95.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Mugla
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 €48.17
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.40 €24.41
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.44 €9.30
$7.83 ₺392
33.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Mugla
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$568 €506
$701 ₺35.1K
-19.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.2K €13.5K
$17.6K ₺878.6K
-13.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Mugla
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.7 €80.8
$48.20 ₺2,412
88.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.32 €35.03
$32.52 ₺1,627
20.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.7
$100 ₺5,006
5.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 €115
$82.7 ₺4,136
56.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Mugla
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$742 €661
$403 ₺20.1K
84.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$648 €578
$305 ₺15.3K
112.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,271 €1,132
$801 ₺40.1K
58.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,122 €999
$497 ₺24.9K
125.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,999 €3,562
$1,394 ₺69.8K
186.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,281 €2,923
$789 ₺39.5K
316.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Mugla
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,245 €1,109
$1,483 ₺74.2K
-16.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.44
38
-88.32%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mugla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$648
Mugla
$305 52.9% $343
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$316
Mugla
$221 30% $95
Eating Out
Athens
$272
Mugla
$196 28% $76
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$260
Mugla
$99 61.9% $161
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$164
Mugla
$119 27.7% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$75
Mugla
$16 * 79.1% $59
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Mugla
$10 * 76.6% $34

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 $742 in Athens and $403 in Mugla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mugla pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $43 in Mugla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $221 per month, with Mugla cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇹🇷 Mugla
🕒 Local time
02:50 2:50 AM
03:50 3:50 AM
1 h ahead of Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
82,717
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Mugla 420 km
From you
  • Athens
  • Mugla

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 Mugla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Mugla?
Mugla wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mugla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Mugla?
On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Athens. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athens compared to Mugla?
Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $403 in Mugla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Athens and in Mugla?
Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $701 in Mugla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Mugla?
Dining out is cheaper in Mugla – a meal for two runs $43 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $800/month in Athens or in Mugla?
Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Mugla is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Athens or Mugla?
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.

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