Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Rijeka

For one person, living is cheaper in Rijeka: $1,611 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Rijeka
Learn more

Rijeka Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Rijeka

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Rijeka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,611 in Rijeka.

Athens $1,806
Rijeka $1,611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,416 in Rijeka.

Athens $2,731
Rijeka $2,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,222 in Rijeka.

Athens $3,656
Rijeka $3,222

Living in Athens is roughly 12% more expensive than in Rijeka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Rijeka 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$13.30 €11.87

25.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$73.3 €65.4

-9.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$9.92 €8.86

11.49%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.25 €2.01

84.00%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$3.11 €2.77

-9.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.89 €1.69

-69.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.79 €3.38

48.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$4.42 €3.94

23.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.24 €1.11

58.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.61 €1.44

-12.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$3.35 €2.99

-15.52%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.79 €3.38

32.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$15.85 €14.14

-3.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$10.06 €8.97

2.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$14.49 €12.93

30.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.72 €1.53

26.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.75 €1.56

9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.83 €1.64

-24.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.56 €2.28

-14.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.32 €1.18

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.31 €1.17

-13.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.37 €1.22

-19.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.36 €1.22

-38.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$5.72 €5.10

-2.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$7.97 €7.11

27.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.61 €1.44

35.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.12 €1.89

15.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.27 €2.03

-39.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$54.7 €48.80

-43.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$5.49 €4.90

-20.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.50 €1.34

-30.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$28.38 €25.32

-39.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.93 €1.72

19.69%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$25.9K €23.1K

8.23%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$24.6K €22.0K

13.77%

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

$210 €187

$187 €167

12.14%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$24.40 €21.78

9.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$39.54 €35.28

-23.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$53.4 €47.69

2.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$11.12 €9.93

134.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$6.69 €5.97

61.14%

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

$575 €513

$550 €491

4.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$12.7K €11.3K

3.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$101 €89.8

-7.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$42.30 €37.75

-3.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$102 €90.8

2.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$110 €97.8

17.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$699 €624

8.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$546 €487

19.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,213 €1,083

6.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$860 €767

35.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$4,081 €3,642

-1.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$3,925 €3,503

-12.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,509 €1,347

-17.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.73

20.11%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rijeka: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Rijeka

$546 34% 16.3% $106

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Rijeka

$294 18.3% 6.5% $20

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Rijeka

$211 13.1% 21.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Rijeka

$251 15.6% 5.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Rijeka

$159 9.9% 3.3% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Rijeka

$67 4.2% 12.3% $9.3

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Rijeka

$77 4.8% 67.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $699 in Rijeka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rijeka pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $73.0 in Rijeka. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $294, with Rijeka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇭🇷 Rijeka

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

107,964

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Rijeka 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Rijeka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rijeka wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rijeka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Rijeka. 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: $756 in Athens versus $699 in Rijeka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rijeka – a meal for two runs $73.0 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 $1,611 in Rijeka – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,611 in Rijeka versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rijeka but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Rijeka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rijeka delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,611 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rijeka hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Rijeka 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 Rijeka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.