Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Pietermaritzburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,036 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Pietermaritzburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg.

Athens $1,806
Pietermaritzburg $1,036

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,560 in Pietermaritzburg.

Athens $2,731
Pietermaritzburg $1,560

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $2,083 in Pietermaritzburg.

Athens $3,656
Pietermaritzburg $2,083

Living in Athens is roughly 74% more expensive than in Pietermaritzburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Pietermaritzburg is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$7.91 R 130

110.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$35.62 R 588

85.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$5.61 R 92.6

97.15%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.29 R 37.86

80.79%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.16 R 19.12

141.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.97 R 16.08

-41.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$2.24 R 36.89

151.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$2.56 R 42.25

113.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.33 R 21.88

47.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.00 R 16.45

41.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.74 R 28.78

62.64%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.20 R 52.7

57.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$6.93 R 114

121.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$4.96 R 81.8

108.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$6.57 R 108

188.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.02 R 33.40

7.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.90 R 31.31

0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.20 R 36.35

-37.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.06 R 34.00

6.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.75 R 28.92

-37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.75 R 28.93

-35.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.53 R 25.31

-28.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.09 R 17.98

-23.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$3.01 R 49.69

86.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$3.94 R 65.0

158.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.38 R 22.72

57.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.80 R 29.70

36.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.84 R 46.92

-51.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$19.57 R 323

57.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$1.65 R 27.23

164.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.07 R 17.60

-2.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.42 R 23.49

62.68%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$26.7K R 440.1K

4.89%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$26.2K R 432.5K

6.86%

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

$210 €187

$206 R 3,398

1.85%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$31.68 R 523

-15.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$36.96 R 610

-18.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$43.95 R 725

24.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$3.03 R 50.1

759.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$4.72 R 77.8

128.39%

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

$575 €513

$181 R 2,993

216.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$5,207 R 85.9K

152.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$55.4 R 914

68.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$33.93 R 560

19.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$116 R 1,910

-10.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$68.9 R 1,137

86.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$219 R 3,607

245.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$222 R 3,670

193.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$581 R 9,593

122.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$406 R 6,698

186.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$5,971 R 98.5K

-32.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$149 R 2,455

2220.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,074 R 17.7K

15.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.67

-61.61%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Pietermaritzburg

$222 21.4% 65.9% $430

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Pietermaritzburg

$195 18.8% 38% $119

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8% 50.7% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.4% 3% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Pietermaritzburg

$123 11.9% 25.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.1% 29.9% $23

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7% 17.4% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $219 in Pietermaritzburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 16% 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 $36.00 in Pietermaritzburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $195 per month, with Pietermaritzburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

11:42 11:42 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

618,536

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Pietermaritzburg 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Pietermaritzburg

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 Pietermaritzburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pietermaritzburg wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pietermaritzburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $219 in Pietermaritzburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pietermaritzburg but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Pietermaritzburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pietermaritzburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,036 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pietermaritzburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.