Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Nea Smyrni

For one person, living is cheaper in Nea Smyrni: $1,355 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Nea Smyrni
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Nea Smyrni Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Nea Smyrni

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Nea Smyrni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,355 in Nea Smyrni.

Athens $1,759
Nea Smyrni $1,355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $2,141 in Nea Smyrni.

Athens $2,696
Nea Smyrni $2,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $2,926 in Nea Smyrni.

Athens $3,632
Nea Smyrni $2,926

Living in Athens is roughly 30% more expensive than in Nea Smyrni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.32

$11.30 €10.16

50.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.2

$59.3 €53.3

11.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$8.81 €7.92

24.40%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$4.17 €3.75

-1.68%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.35 €2.11

20.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$0.54 €0.49

9.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$4.41 €3.96

27.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$4.92 €4.42

15.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.59 €1.43

19.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.36 €1.22

7.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.55 €2.29

6.27%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$4.85 €4.35

3.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.55

$12.11 €10.88

24.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$10.17 €9.14

1.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.43

$15.62 €14.04

24.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$2.22 €2.00

-4.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.10 €1.89

-9.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.41 €1.27

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.11 €1.89

0.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$1.08 €0.97

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.14 €1.02

-0.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.87 €0.78

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.84 €0.75

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$5.24 €4.71

5.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.98

$7.15 €6.43

39.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.79 €1.61

13.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.27 €2.04

0.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.32 €1.18

-0.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.56

$53.6 €48.17

-42.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$4.56 €4.09

-4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.02 €0.92

0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$16.93 €15.21

0.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.11

$2.25 €2.02

4.00%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$27.6K €24.8K

2.26%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$24.2K €21.8K

10.51%

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

$200 €180

$200 €179

0.09%

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

$25.17 €22.62

$24.98 €22.44

0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$30.75 €27.63

-3.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.32

$49.63 €44.59

1.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

$26.27 €23.60

-1.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.46

$9.51 €8.55

10.62%

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

$576 €518

$467 €420

23.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$4,701 €4,224

175.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$82.0 €73.7

9.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$38.74 €34.81

2.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$82.5 €74.2

27.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$109 €97.6

14.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$496 €446

49.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €578

$332 €298

93.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$724 €650

80.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$654 €587

71.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,604

$2,766 €2,486

45.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,951

$1,821 €1,636

80.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.38

2.28%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nea Smyrni: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Nea Smyrni

$332 24.5% 48.3% $311

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Nea Smyrni

$280 20.7% 10.3% $32

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Nea Smyrni

$210 15.5% 22.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Nea Smyrni

$255 18.8% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Nea Smyrni

$140 10.4% 13% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Nea Smyrni

$69 5.1% 4% $2.8

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Nea Smyrni

$69 5.1% 50.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $496 in Nea Smyrni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $59 in Nea Smyrni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $280 per month, with Nea Smyrni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Nea Smyrni

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

73,076

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Nea Smyrni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nea Smyrni wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nea Smyrni the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,639 in Athens and $2,033 in Nea Smyrni to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $740 in Athens versus $496 in Nea Smyrni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nea Smyrni – a meal for two runs $59 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,759 per month in Athens versus $1,355 in Nea Smyrni – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Nea Smyrni is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Nea Smyrni are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.