Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Roodepoort

For one person, living is cheaper in Roodepoort: $1,193 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Roodepoort
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Roodepoort Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Roodepoort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Roodepoort

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,193 in Roodepoort.

Athens $1,775
Roodepoort $1,193

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,783 in Roodepoort.

Athens $2,721
Roodepoort $1,783

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,372 in Roodepoort.

Athens $3,666
Roodepoort $2,372

Living in Athens is roughly 49% more expensive than in Roodepoort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Roodepoort is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$12.26 R 202

36.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$44.52 R 733

52.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.08 R 117

57.34%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.48 R 40.89

62.50%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.14 R 18.71

142.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.87 R 14.32

-36.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.32 R 38.18

147.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.91 R 47.94

87.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.20 R 19.70

51.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.19 R 19.53

15.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.78 R 29.37

57.30%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.43 R 39.97

98.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.61 R 142

74.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.46 R 89.9

94.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$8.73 R 144

111.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.87 R 30.80

17.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.82 R 30.01

4.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.72 R 28.35

-20.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.05 R 33.72

2.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.72 R 28.35

-37.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.70 R 28.01

-34.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.23 R 20.28

-8.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.33 R 21.89

-33.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.30 R 54.3

66.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.17 R 102

64.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.51 R 24.95

41.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.90 R 31.31

18.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.88 R 14.44

54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.86 R 14.22

417.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.95 R 15.61

7.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$14.72 R 242

14.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.50 R 24.77

50.00%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.4K R 583.1K

-20.80%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$34.2K R 563.7K

-17.49%

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

$205 €182

$234 R 3,852

-12.49%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$38.70 R 638

-31.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$36.73 R 605

-17.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$48.15 R 793

13.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.42 R 122

40.43%

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

$569 €506

$247 R 4,064

130.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,566 R 91.7K

126.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$53.9 R 887

64.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$32.75 R 540

23.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$110 R 1,816

-4.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$91.5 R 1,507

32.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$603 R 9,939

22.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$297 R 4,895

120.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,519 R 25.0K

-14.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$524 R 8,640

118.89%

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

$1,504 R 24.8K

-17.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.25

-60.18%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Roodepoort: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Roodepoort

$297 24.9% 54.6% $357

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Roodepoort

$210 17.6% 32.2% $100

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Roodepoort

$175 14.6% 34.9% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Roodepoort

$309 25.9% 18.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Roodepoort

$130 10.9% 18.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Roodepoort

$63 5.3% 16.4% $12

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Roodepoort

$9.1 * 0.8% 79.7% $36

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 $603 in Roodepoort. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roodepoort 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $45.00 in Roodepoort for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $210 per month, with Roodepoort cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Roodepoort

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

325,000

💱 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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Athens Roodepoort 7,140 km ≈ 9 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 Roodepoort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roodepoort wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Roodepoort the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Roodepoort. 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 $603 in Roodepoort. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $247 in Roodepoort. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Roodepoort – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,193 in Roodepoort versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Roodepoort but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Roodepoort the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Roodepoort delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,193 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Roodepoort hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Roodepoort 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 Roodepoort gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.