Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Polokwane

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Polokwane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $959 in Polokwane.

Athens $1,775
Polokwane $959

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,417 in Polokwane.

Athens $2,721
Polokwane $1,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,875 in Polokwane.

Athens $3,666
Polokwane $1,875

Living in Athens is roughly 85% more expensive than in Polokwane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Polokwane is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$12.24 R 202

36.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$29.66 R 489

128.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.46 R 123

49.33%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.38 R 39.26

69.33%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.77 R 12.68

259.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.88 R 14.47

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.68 R 27.65

241.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$1.88 R 30.95

189.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.32 R 21.71

37.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.08 R 17.82

27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.70 R 28.03

64.71%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.65 R 43.69

82.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$7.84 R 129

91.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$4.59 R 75.6

131.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$6.04 R 99.6

205.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.01 R 33.19

9.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.85 R 30.53

2.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.81 R 29.80

-24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.96 R 32.30

7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.67 R 27.49

-35.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.50 R 24.73

-25.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.12 R 18.48

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.82 R 13.46

7.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$2.68 R 44.22

104.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.87 R 80.2

108.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.15 R 18.88

85.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.61 R 26.54

39.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.92 R 15.22

47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$30.03 R 495

-0.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.87 R 14.41

411.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.95 R 15.66

7.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$14.36 R 237

17.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.43 R 23.52

57.34%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$26.1K R 430.1K

7.38%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$28.5K R 469.0K

-0.83%

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

$205 €182

$138 R 2,281

47.77%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$38.10 R 628

-30.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$32.99 R 544

-7.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$23.29 R 384

133.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.00 R 132

30.25%

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

$569 €506

$179 R 2,946

218.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,452 R 23.9K

767.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$45.30 R 746

95.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$37.73 R 622

7.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$80.6 R 1,328

30.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$93.7 R 1,544

29.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$290 R 4,785

155.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$203 R 3,338

223.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$420 R 6,922

209.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$284 R 4,683

303.85%

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

$1,343 R 22.1K

-7.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.91

-58.94%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Polokwane

$203 21.1% 69% $452

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Polokwane

$185 19.3% 40.3% $125

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Polokwane

$168 17.5% 37.5% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Polokwane

$210 21.8% 19.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Polokwane

$116 12.1% 27.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 47.8% $36

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 12.3% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $290 in Polokwane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Polokwane pays 8% 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 $30.00 in Polokwane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $185 per month, with Polokwane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

628,999

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Polokwane 6,910 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Polokwane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polokwane wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Polokwane the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Polokwane. 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 $290 in Polokwane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Polokwane – a meal for two runs $30.00 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 $959 in Polokwane – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $959 in Polokwane versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Polokwane but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Polokwane the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Polokwane delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $959 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Polokwane hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Polokwane 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 Polokwane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.