Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Novo Mesto

For one person, living is cheaper in Novo Mesto: $1,493 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Novo Mesto
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Novo Mesto Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Novo Mesto

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,493

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Novo Mesto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,493 in Novo Mesto.

Athens $1,775
Novo Mesto $1,493

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,180 in Novo Mesto.

Athens $2,721
Novo Mesto $2,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,868 in Novo Mesto.

Athens $3,666
Novo Mesto $2,868

Living in Athens is roughly 19% more expensive than in Novo Mesto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Novo Mesto 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$11.17 €9.94

49.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$33.54 €29.83

102.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$8.79 €7.81

26.73%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.82 €1.62

121.43%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.28 €2.03

21.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.55 €1.38

-64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.10 €2.76

85.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.86 €2.55

90.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.30 €1.16

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.82 €1.62

-24.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.94 €3.51

22.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.48 €11.99

11.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$9.40 €8.36

13.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$9.11 €8.10

102.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.66 €1.48

32.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.76 €1.57

7.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.00 €1.78

-31.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.35 €2.98

-37.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.15 €1.02

-6.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.51 €1.34

-25.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.26 €1.12

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.68 €0.61

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.69 €5.06

-3.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.56 €5.83

54.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.44 €1.28

47.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.77 €1.57

27.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.41 €1.26

-3.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$34.82 €30.97

-14.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.64 €1.46

171.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.36 €1.21

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$27.93 €24.84

-39.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.60 €1.43

40.62%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$29.6K €26.3K

-5.14%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$24.7K €22.0K

14.19%

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

$205 €182

$292 €260

-29.97%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$11.44 €10.17

132.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$38.87 €34.58

-21.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$50.9 €45.23

7.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$33.61 €29.90

-23.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.93 €7.05

31.40%

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

$569 €506

$509 €452

11.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$11.4K €10.1K

10.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$91.2 €81.1

-2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$38.04 €33.84

6.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$121 €108

-13.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$144 €128

-15.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$504 €448

47.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$424 €377

54.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$836 €744

55.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$728 €648

57.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,809 €2,499

42.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,235 €2,878

6.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,458 €1,297

-14.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.29

36.17%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Novo Mesto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Novo Mesto

$424 28.4% 35.3% $231

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Novo Mesto

$260 17.4% 16.2% $50

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Novo Mesto

$174 11.7% 35% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Novo Mesto

$342 22.9% 30.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Novo Mesto

$178 11.9% 11% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Novo Mesto

$67 4.5% 11.5% $8.6

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Novo Mesto

$49 3.3% 9% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $504 in Novo Mesto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novo Mesto pays 17% 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 $34.00 in Novo Mesto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $260 per month, with Novo Mesto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇮 Novo Mesto

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

23,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Novo Mesto 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Novo Mesto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novo Mesto wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Novo Mesto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Novo Mesto. 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 $504 in Novo Mesto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Novo Mesto – a meal for two runs $34.00 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 $1,493 in Novo Mesto – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,493 in Novo Mesto versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Novo Mesto but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Novo Mesto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Novo Mesto delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,493 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Novo Mesto hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Novo Mesto 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 Novo Mesto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.