Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Benin

For one person, living is cheaper in Benin: $447 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Benin
Learn more

Benin Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Benin

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Benin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $447 in Benin.

Athens $1,775
Benin $447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $756 in Benin.

Athens $2,721
Benin $756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,065 in Benin.

Athens $3,666
Benin $1,065

Living in Athens is roughly 297% more expensive than in Benin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Benin is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$1.28 ₦1,702

1203.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$50.3 ₦66.9K

34.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.51 ₦7,326

102.18%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.77 ₦3,684

45.49%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.27 ₦355

925.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.16 ₦218

243.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$0.85 ₦1,136

575.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$0.99 ₦1,320

450.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$3.16 ₦4,204

-42.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.77 ₦1,026

79.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.21 ₦1,610

131.40%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.24 ₦2,984

115.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$3.63 ₦4,832

314.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$3.84 ₦5,114

176.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$4.43 ₦5,893

316.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.70 ₦2,263

29.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.30 ₦1,728

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.11 ₦1,475

23.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.33 ₦1,772

57.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.34 ₦1,779

-19.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.32 ₦1,756

-15.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.83 ₦1,105

34.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.39 ₦523

125.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$0.59 ₦779

828.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$2.41 ₦3,205

320.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.54 ₦724

294.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.46 ₦607

389.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.69 ₦921

544.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.90 ₦1,202

13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$2.21 ₦2,943

665.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.73 ₦967

208.22%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$11.1K ₦14.7M

153.00%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$13.9K ₦18.4M

103.66%

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

$205 €182

$114 ₦151.4K

79.76%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$14.69 ₦19.5K

81.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$33.21 ₦44.2K

-8.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$6.21 ₦8,258

67.79%

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

$569 €506

$655 ₦871.3K

-13.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$19.7K ₦26.2M

-36.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$14.98 ₦19.9K

491.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$18.39 ₦24.5K

120.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$35.97 ₦47.8K

191.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$48.15 ₦64.0K

151.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

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

$112 ₦148.6K

1012.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

18.39

-75.64%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Benin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Benin

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Benin

$147 32.9% 52.6% $163

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Benin

$68 15.2% 74.6% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Benin

$162 36.1% 38.2% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Benin

$53 11.8% 66.9% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Benin

$12 * 2.8% 83.5% $63

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Benin

$5.2 * 1.2% 88.4% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Athens pays 1012% 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 $50.0 in Benin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $147 per month, with Benin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇬 Benin

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

21:17 9:17 PM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,147,188

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Benin 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Benin

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 Benin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benin wins on cost – living expenses run 297% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Benin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1012% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $655 in Benin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Benin – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $447 in Benin versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Benin but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Benin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Benin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $447 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Benin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Benin 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 Benin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 297% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.