Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Rustenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $799 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Rustenburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $799 in Rustenburg.

Athens $1,775
Rustenburg $799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,318 in Rustenburg.

Athens $2,721
Rustenburg $1,318

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,837 in Rustenburg.

Athens $3,666
Rustenburg $1,837

Living in Athens is roughly 122% more expensive than in Rustenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Rustenburg is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$6.11 R 101

173.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$43.66 R 719

55.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$6.28 R 103

77.39%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.03 R 33.47

98.52%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.96 R 15.75

188.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.50 R 8.26

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.48 R 24.37

287.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.09 R 34.40

160.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.12 R 18.38

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.99 R 16.36

39.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.77 R 29.20

58.19%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.70 R 44.53

78.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$7.35 R 121

104.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.01 R 82.6

112.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$6.44 R 106

186.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.76 R 29.00

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.59 R 26.27

19.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.79 R 29.47

-23.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.14 R 18.78

84.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.33 R 21.96

-18.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.09 R 17.89

2.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.28 R 21.15

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.94 R 15.48

-6.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.12 R 51.5

75.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.96 R 98.2

69.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.58 R 9.55

267.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.95 R 15.61

136.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.82 R 13.48

442.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.88 R 14.42

15.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$14.67 R 242

15.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.43 R 23.55

57.34%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$28.4K R 468.3K

-1.38%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$27.6K R 455.5K

2.10%

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

$205 €182

$74.9 R 1,233

173.35%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$13.66 R 225

95.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$36.01 R 593

-15.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$21.21 R 349

156.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$6.21 R 102

316.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$4.94 R 81.5

110.93%

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

$569 €506

$112 R 1,841

409.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,493 R 90.5K

129.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$43.05 R 709

105.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$46.85 R 772

-13.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$109 R 1,798

-3.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$54.7 R 901

121.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$336 R 5,537

120.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$239 R 3,937

173.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$717 R 11.8K

81.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$520 R 8,559

120.96%

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

$1,085 R 17.9K

14.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

9.9

-54.75%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rustenburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Rustenburg

$239 29.9% 63.5% $416

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Rustenburg

$176 22% 43.3% $135

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Rustenburg

$110 13.7% 59.2% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Rustenburg

$125 15.6% 52.4% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Rustenburg

$114 14.3% 28.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Rustenburg

$31 3.9% 58.7% $44

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Rustenburg

$5.2 * 0.7% 88.4% $40

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 $336 in Rustenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 14% 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 $44.00 in Rustenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $176 per month, with Rustenburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

549,575

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Rustenburg 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Rustenburg

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 Rustenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rustenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 122% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rustenburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $336 in Rustenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $112 in Rustenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rustenburg – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $799 in Rustenburg versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rustenburg but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Rustenburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rustenburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $799 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rustenburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Rustenburg 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 Rustenburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.