Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Rethymno

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,358 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Rethymno

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,358 in Rethymno.

Athens $1,759
Rethymno $1,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $2,031 in Rethymno.

Athens $2,696
Rethymno $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $2,703 in Rethymno.

Athens $3,632
Rethymno $2,703

Living in Athens is roughly 30% more expensive than in Rethymno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.28

$12.69 €11.38

34.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.0

$56.1 €50.2

17.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.82

$10.25 €9.18

6.93%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.68

$3.54 €3.18

15.82%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$1.67 €1.50

69.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$0.58 €0.52

1.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.04

$4.54 €4.07

23.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.08

$5.25 €4.70

8.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.58 €1.42

20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.21 €1.08

20.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.26 €2.03

19.91%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.52

$4.48 €4.01

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.51

$15.17 €13.60

-0.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.21

$9.68 €8.67

6.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.38

$15.43 €13.83

25.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.99 €1.79

6.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.99 €1.78

-4.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.24 €1.11

13.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.70 €1.52

25.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$0.96 €0.86

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.01 €0.90

11.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.69 €0.62

63.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.74 €0.66

9.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.94

$4.38 €3.93

26.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.95

$6.89 €6.18

44.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.81 €1.62

12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.82 €1.64

25.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.81 €1.62

-27.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.48

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.92

$4.58 €4.10

-4.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.14 €1.02

-9.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.28

$11.38 €10.20

49.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.21 €1.98

5.88%

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

$28.3K €25.3K

$22.4K €20.1K

26.12%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$24.5K €22.0K

9.16%

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

$200 €179

$191 €171

4.79%

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

$25.17 €22.56

$18.37 €16.46

37.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.57

$31.03 €27.81

-4.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.20

$61.2 €54.8

-17.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.43

$8.46 €7.58

24.35%

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

$576 €516

$366 €328

57.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$3,964 €3,552

226.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.4

$88.2 €79.0

1.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.46

$11.04 €9.89

258.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.5

$44.52 €39.89

136.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$44.41 €39.80

178.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €663

$548 €491

35.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €576

$447 €401

43.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,169

$913 €818

42.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,004

$700 €627

60.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,595

$4,172 €3,738

-3.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,943

$2,963 €2,655

10.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,097

$1,201 €1,076

1.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.3

4.19%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rethymno: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Rethymno

$447 32.9% 30.5% $196

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Rethymno

$273 20.1% 12.4% $39

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Rethymno

$217 16% 20.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Rethymno

$240 17.7% 5.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Rethymno

$85 6.2% 47.5% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Rethymno

$78 5.8% 9.2% $6.6

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Rethymno

$18 * 1.3% 61.4% $28

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 $740 in Athens and $548 in Rethymno. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $56 in Rethymno for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $273 per month, with Rethymno cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

35,763

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Athens Rethymno 300 km

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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 Rethymno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $2,639 in Athens and $2,037 in Rethymno 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $740 in Athens versus $548 in Rethymno. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Athens versus $366 in Rethymno. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rethymno – a meal for two runs $56 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,358 in Rethymno versus $1,759 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rethymno but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Rethymno the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Athens and Rethymno are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.