Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Novara

For one person, living is cheaper in Novara: $1,475 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Novara
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Novara Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Novara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,475

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Novara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,475 in Novara.

Athens $1,775
Novara $1,475

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,279 in Novara.

Athens $2,721
Novara $2,279

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,083 in Novara.

Athens $3,666
Novara $3,083

Living in Athens is roughly 20% more expensive than in Novara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Novara 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.56 €14.73

0.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$55.2 €49.09

22.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.24 €9.11

8.79%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.75 €1.56

130.29%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.32 €2.95

-16.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.64 €1.46

-66.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.72 €5.09

0.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.17 €4.60

5.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.39 €1.24

30.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.95 €1.74

-29.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.87 €2.55

-2.44%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.19 €2.84

51.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$11.10 €9.87

35.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.87 €7.89

19.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$13.44 €11.95

37.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.48 €2.21

-11.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.70 €1.51

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.27 €2.91

-58.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.14 €1.91

-1.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.97 €1.75

-45.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.07 €0.95

4.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.02 €0.91

9.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.71 €0.63

23.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.19 €5.51

-11.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.70 €5.07

77.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.88 €1.67

13.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.24 €1.99

0.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.66 €1.47

-18.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$37.99 €33.79

-21.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.43 €3.94

0.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.20 €1.06

-15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$34.60 €30.78

-51.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.02 €1.80

11.39%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$27.6K €24.5K

1.68%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$32.5K €28.9K

-13.02%

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

$205 €182

$176 €156

16.57%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$10.37 €9.23

156.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$29.75 €26.47

2.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$78.0 €69.3

-30.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$18.88 €16.79

37.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$11.38 €10.12

-8.44%

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

$569 €506

$500 €445

13.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$9,957 €8,856

26.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$125 €112

-29.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$33.17 €29.51

21.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$55.8 €49.61

88.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$142 €126

-14.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$638 €568

16.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$433 €385

51.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,063 €945

22.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$777 €691

47.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,806 €2,496

43.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,923 €1,711

79.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$2,090 €1,859

-40.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.62

23.76%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Novara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Novara

$433 29.3% 33.9% $222

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Novara

$268 18.2% 13.7% $42

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Novara

$243 16.5% 9.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Novara

$216 14.6% 17.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Novara

$160 10.9% 0.2% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Novara

$101 6.8% 33.7% $25

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Novara

$55 3.7% 22.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $638 in Novara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novara pays 68% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $55.0 in Novara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $268 per month, with Novara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇹 Novara

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

06:43 6:43 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

100,910

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Novara 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Novara

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 Novara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novara wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Novara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Novara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $638 in Novara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Novara – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,475 in Novara – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,475 in Novara versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Novara but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Novara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Novara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,475 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Novara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Novara 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 Novara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.