Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Rochester

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,128 in Rochester, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Rochester
Learn more

Rochester Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Rochester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Rochester

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,128 in Rochester.

Athens $1,775
Rochester $2,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,234 in Rochester.

Athens $2,721
Rochester $3,234

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,339 in Rochester.

Athens $3,666
Rochester $4,339

Living in Athens costs roughly 17% less than in Rochester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Rochester 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$25.24 £18.94

-33.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$95.4 £71.6

-28.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.96 £7.47

11.85%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.96 £3.72

-18.75%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.34 £1.75

18.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.46 £1.85

-77.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.25 £3.94

9.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.60 £3.45

18.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.74 £1.31

4.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.04 £1.53

-32.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.15 £1.61

30.23%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.51 £2.63

37.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$6.11 £4.58

146.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$7.49 £5.62

41.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.70 £11.03

25.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.74 £2.06

-19.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.96 £1.47

-3.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.28 £1.71

-39.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.40 £2.55

-38.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.93 £1.45

-44.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.24 £0.93

-9.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.13 £0.85

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.69 £1.27

-47.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$23.77 £17.84

-76.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$10.74 £8.06

-5.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.94 £2.21

-27.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.14 £2.35

-28.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$4.02 £3.02

-66.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.13 £3.85

-13.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.66 £2.00

-61.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$39.46 £29.60

-57.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.06 £1.55

9.22%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$37.7K £28.3K

-25.61%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$40.7K £30.5K

-30.55%

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

$205 €182

$227 £171

-10.06%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$16.59 £12.45

60.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$36.47 £27.36

-16.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$39.43 £29.58

38.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$17.18 £12.89

-39.35%

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

$569 €506

$1,312 £984

-56.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$30.0K £22.5K

-58.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$90.3 £67.8

-1.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$44.47 £33.36

-9.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$104 £78.0

0.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$87.7 £65.8

38.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,539 £1,155

-51.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$959 £719

-31.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,994 £1,496

-34.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,645 £1,234

-30.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$5,236 £3,928

-23.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$4,491 £3,369

-22.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,376 £2,533

-63.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.12

-12.50%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rochester: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Rochester

$959 45.1% 46.4% $304

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Rochester

$287 13.5% 7.4% $23

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Rochester

$346 16.3% 29.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Rochester

$281 13.2% 7.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Rochester

$147 6.9% 8.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Rochester

$74 3.5% 2% $1.5

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Rochester

$35 * 1.6% 23.1% $10

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 $741 in Athens and $1,539 in Rochester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rochester pays 172% 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 $95.0 in Rochester. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $287, with Rochester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇧 Rochester

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

15:56 3:56 PM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

62,982

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Rochester 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Rochester

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 Rochester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Rochester. 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 172% lower in Rochester. 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 $1,539 in Rochester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $1,312 in Rochester. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $95.0 in Rochester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,128 in Rochester, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Rochester. 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 Rochester 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 20% less than in Rochester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.