Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Riehen

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $3,372 in Riehen, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 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
164

Cost of Living Index in Riehen
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Riehen Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Riehen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Riehen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $3,372 in Riehen.

Athens $1,775
Riehen $3,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $5,084 in Riehen.

Athens $2,721
Riehen $5,084

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $6,797 in Riehen.

Athens $3,666
Riehen $6,797

Living in Athens costs roughly 47% less than in Riehen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Riehen 150% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$29.55 CHF 24.34

-43.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$120 CHF 98.5

-43.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$15.72 CHF 12.94

-29.13%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$6.21 CHF 5.11

-35.10%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$4.98 CHF 4.10

-44.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$5.26 CHF 4.33

-89.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$7.15 CHF 5.89

-19.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.57 CHF 5.41

-17.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.13 CHF 1.75

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-56.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.51 CHF 2.89

-20.23%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$7.13 CHF 5.87

-32.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$24.83 CHF 20.45

-39.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$24.86 CHF 20.48

-57.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$37.07 CHF 30.53

-50.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.61 CHF 1.33

18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.51 CHF 2.07

-45.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.36 CHF 3.59

-51.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-39.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.09 CHF 1.72

-46.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-48.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.23 CHF 1.02

-28.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.91 CHF 8.99

-49.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$10.39 CHF 8.56

-2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$3.48 CHF 2.87

-38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-3.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$4.45 CHF 3.67

-69.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$98.6 CHF 81.2

-69.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$9.84 CHF 8.11

-54.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-74.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$73.6 CHF 60.6

-77.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.18 CHF 1.80

3.21%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

-32.39%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

-28.08%

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

$205 €182

$339 CHF 280

-39.73%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$41.49 CHF 34.17

-35.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$56.6 CHF 46.59

-46.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$88.7 CHF 73.1

-38.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$45.01 CHF 37.07

-42.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$21.40 CHF 17.63

-51.31%

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

$569 €506

$1,786 CHF 1,471

-68.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$36.6K CHF 30.2K

-65.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$102 CHF 84.0

-13.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$57.0 CHF 46.94

-29.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$165 CHF 136

-36.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$183 CHF 151

-33.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,680 CHF 1,384

-55.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,440 CHF 1,186

-54.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$3,422 CHF 2,819

-62.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$2,418 CHF 1,992

-52.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

-74.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$12.0K CHF 9,867

-71.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$8,642 CHF 7,118

-85.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.31

93.94%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Riehen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Riehen

$1.4K 42.7% 120% $785

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Riehen

$540 16% 74.1% $230

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Riehen

$448 13.3% 67.1% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Riehen

$438 13% 67.2% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Riehen

$228 6.8% 42.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Riehen

$132 3.9% 74.6% $56

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Riehen

$146 4.3% 226% $101

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,680 in Riehen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riehen pays 596% 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $120 in Riehen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $540 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Riehen

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

20,970

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Riehen 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Riehen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 90% lower than in Riehen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 596% lower in Riehen. 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 $1,680 in Riehen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $120 in Riehen. 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 $3,372 in Riehen – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $3,372 in Riehen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Riehen. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Riehen 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Riehen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.