Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Ouagadougou

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouagadougou: $1,164 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ouagadougou
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Ouagadougou Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Ouagadougou

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Ouagadougou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,164 in Ouagadougou.

Athens $1,806
Ouagadougou $1,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,917 in Ouagadougou.

Athens $2,731
Ouagadougou $1,917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $2,669 in Ouagadougou.

Athens $3,656
Ouagadougou $2,669

Living in Athens is roughly 55% more expensive than in Ouagadougou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Ouagadougou is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$7.38 F CFA 4,317

125.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$25.33 F CFA 14.8K

161.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$7.12 F CFA 4,167

55.34%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$1.97 F CFA 1,152

110.15%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.06 F CFA 623

164.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.10 F CFA 644

-48.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$1.21 F CFA 708

366.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$2.61 F CFA 1,528

109.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.05 F CFA 1,198

-4.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.14 F CFA 665

23.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$0.84 F CFA 491

236.90%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$2.59 F CFA 1,517

94.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$17.20 F CFA 10.1K

-10.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$20.26 F CFA 11.9K

-48.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$14.76 F CFA 8,638

28.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$4.58 F CFA 2,679

-52.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.34 F CFA 1,957

-58.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.93 F CFA 2,301

-44.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.60 F CFA 939

-31.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.67 F CFA 977

-32.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.31 F CFA 765

-16.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.29 F CFA 756

-35.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$1.37 F CFA 801

308.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$5.96 F CFA 3,487

70.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.39 F CFA 813

56.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.54 F CFA 1,485

-3.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.15 F CFA 87.9

820.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.49 F CFA 284

791.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.85 F CFA 494

22.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$8.32 F CFA 4,870

105.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.41 F CFA 826

63.83%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$36.8K F CFA 21.5M

-24.02%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$30.9K F CFA 18.1M

-9.31%

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

$210 €187

$181 F CFA 105.6K

16.18%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$25.90 F CFA 15.2K

3.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$53.5 F CFA 31.3K

-43.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$59.8 F CFA 35.0K

-8.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$8.33 F CFA 4,875

212.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$7.02 F CFA 4,109

53.56%

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

$575 €513

$34.66 F CFA 20.3K

1558.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$5,978 F CFA 3.5M

119.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$34.51 F CFA 20.2K

169.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$52.2 F CFA 30.5K

-22.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$84.5 F CFA 49.4K

23.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$101 F CFA 59.1K

27.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$338 F CFA 197.9K

123.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$227 F CFA 133.0K

186.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,317 F CFA 770.5K

-1.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$728 F CFA 425.7K

59.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$842 F CFA 492.8K

375.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$252 F CFA 147.2K

1271.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$588 F CFA 344.3K

111.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-62.67%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ouagadougou: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Ouagadougou

$227 19.5% 65.1% $425

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Ouagadougou

$352 * 30.2% 11.7% $37

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Ouagadougou

$124 10.7% 53.9% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Ouagadougou

$260 22.3% 2.5% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Ouagadougou

$123 10.5% 25.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Ouagadougou

$74 6.3% 3.1% $2.3

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Ouagadougou

$5.3 * 0.5% 88.4% $41

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 $756 in Athens and $338 in Ouagadougou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 111% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $25.00 in Ouagadougou. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $352, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇧🇫 Ouagadougou

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

3 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,915,102 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Ouagadougou 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Ouagadougou

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 Ouagadougou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ouagadougou wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ouagadougou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 111% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $338 in Ouagadougou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in Athens versus $34.66 in Ouagadougou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ouagadougou – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,164 in Ouagadougou versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ouagadougou but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Ouagadougou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ouagadougou delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,164 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ouagadougou hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Ouagadougou 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 Ouagadougou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.