Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Newcastle

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $1,056 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
Learn more

Newcastle Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Newcastle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,056 in Newcastle.

Athens $1,775
Newcastle $1,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,623 in Newcastle.

Athens $2,721
Newcastle $1,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,191 in Newcastle.

Athens $3,666
Newcastle $2,191

Living in Athens is roughly 68% more expensive than in Newcastle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Newcastle is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$9.04 R 149

84.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$36.41 R 600

86.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.27 R 86.8

111.39%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.19 R 36.11

84.02%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.07 R 17.68

158.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.87 R 14.31

-36.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.61 R 43.00

119.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.18 R 52.4

71.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.19 R 19.68

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.11 R 18.31

24.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.31 R 21.61

113.74%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.88 R 30.94

156.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$6.54 R 108

130.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$4.97 R 81.8

113.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$7.09 R 117

159.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.90 R 14.78

144.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.03 R 17.02

84.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.00 R 16.56

37.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.32 R 21.71

59.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.96 R 15.81

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.21 R 20.01

-7.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.78 R 12.90

43.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.57 R 9.44

54.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.15 R 51.9

73.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$2.97 R 48.95

241.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.38 R 22.80

54.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.91 R 15.03

147.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.46 R 24.13

-6.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.31 R 5.15

1335.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.81 R 13.41

25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$14.28 R 235

18.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.54 R 25.31

46.10%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.0K R 576.4K

-19.88%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$34.1K R 561.5K

-17.17%

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

$205 €182

$151 R 2,481

35.87%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$36.61 R 603

-27.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$37.49 R 618

-18.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$31.66 R 522

72.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$10.84 R 179

138.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.04 R 116

48.01%

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

$569 €506

$259 R 4,272

119.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,413 R 89.2K

132.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$53.5 R 881

65.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$32.63 R 538

24.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$91.6 R 1,509

14.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$82.8 R 1,363

46.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$392 R 6,460

88.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$364 R 5,989

80.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$719 R 11.9K

80.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$718 R 11.8K

59.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$878 R 14.5K

357.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$645 R 10.6K

436.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.34

-60.49%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Newcastle: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Newcastle

$364 34.4% 44.5% $291

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Newcastle

$153 14.5% 50.8% $158

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Newcastle

$142 13.4% 47.2% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Newcastle

$225 21.3% 14.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Newcastle

$117 11.1% 26.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Newcastle

$46 4.3% 39.3% $30

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Newcastle

$10 * 1% 77.2% $35

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 $392 in Newcastle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $36.00 in Newcastle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $153 per month, with Newcastle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

10:36 10:36 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

363,236

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Newcastle 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Newcastle

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 Newcastle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Newcastle wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Newcastle the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $1,584 in Newcastle 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: $741 in Athens versus $392 in Newcastle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $259 in Newcastle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Newcastle – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,056 in Newcastle versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Newcastle but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Newcastle the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Newcastle delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,056 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Newcastle hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Newcastle 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 Newcastle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.