Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Ndola

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $726 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
Learn more

Ndola Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Ndola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $726 in Ndola.

Athens $1,775
Ndola $726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,738 in Ndola.

Athens $2,721
Ndola $1,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,750 in Ndola.

Athens $3,666
Ndola $2,750

Living in Athens is roughly 144% more expensive than in Ndola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Ndola is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$5.52 ZMW 110

202.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$30.75 ZMW 612

120.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$4.94 ZMW 98.2

125.51%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.75 ZMW 54.7

46.55%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.52 ZMW 10.38

432.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.26 ZMW 5.20

111.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.28 ZMW 25.38

348.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.22 ZMW 44.18

145.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.60 ZMW 31.86

13.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.13 ZMW 22.44

22.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.01 ZMW 40.08

39.30%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.62 ZMW 32.27

198.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.37 ZMW 206

45.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$6.48 ZMW 129

64.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$6.45 ZMW 128

185.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.55 ZMW 30.81

41.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.38 ZMW 47.28

-20.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.70 ZMW 73.6

-62.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.50 ZMW 29.93

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.59 ZMW 51.6

-58.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.88 ZMW 37.49

-40.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.12 ZMW 22.20

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.62 ZMW 12.35

41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.08 ZMW 61.3

77.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$9.98 ZMW 198

1.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.42 ZMW 28.17

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.27 ZMW 45.20

-0.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.73 ZMW 14.59

86.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$2.60 ZMW 51.6

71.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.47 ZMW 29.15

-30.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$5.13 ZMW 102

229.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.34 ZMW 26.57

67.91%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$7,515 ZMW 149.5K

273.00%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$27.1K ZMW 538.2K

4.33%

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

$205 €182

$81.5 ZMW 1,622

150.95%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$10.36 ZMW 206

157.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$55.4 ZMW 1,102

-45.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$6.10 ZMW 121

70.82%

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

$569 €506

$138 ZMW 2,743

312.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$16.4K ZMW 326.7K

-23.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$23.72 ZMW 472

273.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$15.32 ZMW 305

164.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$45.00 ZMW 895

133.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$72.1 ZMW 1,434

68.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$176 ZMW 3,508

320.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$153 ZMW 3,050

326.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$384 ZMW 7,630

238.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,503 ZMW 29.9K

-23.63%

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

$602 ZMW 12.0K

106.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-84.55%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ndola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Ndola

$153 21.1% 76.6% $501

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Ndola

$224 30.9% 27.8% $86

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Ndola

$106 14.6% 60.5% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Ndola

$147 20.3% 43.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Ndola

$70 9.7% 56.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Ndola

$12 * 1.7% 83.8% $63

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Ndola

$13 * 1.8% 71.3% $32

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 $176 in Ndola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 107% 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 $31.00 in Ndola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $224 per month, with Ndola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇲 Ndola

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

455,194

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, 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).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Ndola 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Ndola

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 Ndola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ndola wins on cost – living expenses run 144% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ndola the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 107% 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 $176 in Ndola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $138 in Ndola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ndola – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $726 in Ndola versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ndola but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Ndola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ndola delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $726 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ndola hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Ndola 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 Ndola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.