Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Pilikwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Pilikwe: $568 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Pilikwe
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Pilikwe Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Pilikwe

🇧🇼 Botswana

$568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Pilikwe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $568 in Pilikwe.

Athens $1,775
Pilikwe $568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $914 in Pilikwe.

Athens $2,721
Pilikwe $914

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,259 in Pilikwe.

Athens $3,666
Pilikwe $1,259

Living in Athens is roughly 212% more expensive than in Pilikwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Pilikwe is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.72 P 143

55.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$28.91 P 386

134.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.66 P 75.7

96.82%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.27 P 30.27

77.53%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.76 P 10.21

264.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.41 P 5.42

34.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.97 P 26.34

191.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.52 P 33.65

116.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.47 P 19.65

23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.82 P 11.00

68.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.86 P 24.84

50.54%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.43 P 32.41

98.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$6.42 P 85.8

134.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$4.66 P 62.3

128.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$5.03 P 67.3

266.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.66 P 22.22

32.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.46 P 19.46

30.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.07 P 27.61

-33.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.59 P 21.31

32.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.36 P 18.17

-20.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.16 P 15.50

-3.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.29 P 17.30

-13.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.95 P 12.75

-7.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.56 P 47.53

53.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.35 P 58.1

132.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.38 P 18.43

54.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.74 P 23.31

29.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.61 P 8.15

629.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.50 P 33.41

-59.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$2.86 P 38.28

491.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.34 P 17.93

67.91%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$20.1K P 268.7K

39.43%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$20.0K P 267.7K

40.92%

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

$205 €182

$60.2 P 804

240.09%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$18.66 P 249

42.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$44.56 P 595

-31.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$6.29 P 84.1

65.66%

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

$569 €506

$127 P 1,703

346.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$2,466 P 33.0K

410.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$47.79 P 639

85.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$16.52 P 221

144.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$71.6 P 956

46.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$78.2 P 1,045

55.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.33

-60.46%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pilikwe: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Pilikwe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Pilikwe

$173 30.5% 44.2% $137

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Pilikwe

$149 26.3% 44.2% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Pilikwe

$123 21.7% 52.8% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Pilikwe

$96 17% 39.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.2% 83.3% $63

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.3% 70.8% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $29.00 in Pilikwe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $173 per month, with Pilikwe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇧🇼 Pilikwe

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,375

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 BWP = 7.48 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 13.36 BWP (100 BWP = 7.48 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Pilikwe 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Pilikwe

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 Pilikwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pilikwe wins on cost – living expenses run 212% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pilikwe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $852 in Pilikwe to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $127 in Pilikwe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pilikwe – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $568 in Pilikwe versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pilikwe but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Pilikwe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pilikwe delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $568 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pilikwe hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Pilikwe 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 Pilikwe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 212% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.