Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Pau

For one person, living is cheaper in Pau: $1,441 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
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Pau Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Pau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,441 in Pau.

Athens $1,775
Pau $1,441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,269 in Pau.

Athens $2,721
Pau $2,269

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,097 in Pau.

Athens $3,666
Pau $3,097

Living in Athens is roughly 23% more expensive than in Pau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Pau 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.89 €15.02

-1.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$47.83 €42.54

41.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.18 €9.94

-0.36%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.82 €3.40

5.50%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.51 €2.23

10.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.53 €1.36

-64.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.55 €4.94

3.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.79 €3.37

43.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.16 €1.03

56.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.21 €1.97

-37.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.55 €1.37

80.65%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$5.49 €4.88

-12.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$20.38 €18.13

-26.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$11.79 €10.49

-9.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$24.95 €22.20

-26.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.74 €3.33

-41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.25 €2.00

-15.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.04 €1.81

-32.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.32 €2.95

-36.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.68 €1.50

-35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.22 €1.97

-49.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.27 €1.13

-11.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.69 €0.61

27.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$12.50 €11.12

-56.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$9.92 €8.82

2.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$4.35 €3.87

-51.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$5.49 €4.88

-59.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.32 €1.18

3.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$25.30 €22.51

18.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.03 €1.80

10.84%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.0K €31.1K

-19.85%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$35.8K €31.9K

-21.16%

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

$205 €182

$86.9 €77.3

135.36%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$31.04 €27.61

-14.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$32.92 €29.28

-7.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$42.10 €37.44

29.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$12.19 €10.84

-14.52%

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

$569 €506

$382 €339

49.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$4,369 €3,886

188.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$110 €98.3

-19.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$33.30 €29.62

21.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$90.7 €80.7

15.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$89.3 €79.4

35.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$733 €652

1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$392 €349

66.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,075 €956

20.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$708 €630

62.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,411 €2,144

66.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,991 €1,771

73.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,056 €2,718

-59.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.81

17.59%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Pau

$392 27.2% 40.1% $262

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Pau

$389 27% 25.3% $79

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Pau

$266 18.5% 0.8% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Pau

$151 10.5% 42.3% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Pau

$146 10.1% 8.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Pau

$66 4.6% 11.8% $8.9

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Pau

$31 * 2.1% 31.8% $14

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 $733 in Pau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pau pays 146% 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 $48.00 in Pau. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $389, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇫🇷 Pau

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

20:28 8:28 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

77,066

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Athens Pau 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Pau

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 Pau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pau wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 146% lower in Pau. 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 $733 in Pau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pau – a meal for two runs $48.00 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 $1,441 in Pau – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,441 in Pau versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pau but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Pau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pau delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,441 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pau hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Pau 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 Pau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.