Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Saint-Etienne

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,436 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
Learn more

Saint-Etienne Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,436 in Saint-Etienne.

Athens $1,759
Saint-Etienne $1,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $2,264 in Saint-Etienne.

Athens $2,696
Saint-Etienne $2,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $3,092 in Saint-Etienne.

Athens $3,632
Saint-Etienne $3,092

Living in Athens is roughly 23% more expensive than in Saint-Etienne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Saint-Etienne 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.31

$16.56 €14.88

2.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.1

$56.7 €50.9

16.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$13.54 €12.16

-19.05%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$2.07 €1.86

98.07%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$3.42 €3.07

-17.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$1.70 €1.53

-65.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$5.07 €4.55

10.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$5.75 €5.16

-1.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.29 €1.15

47.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.10 €0.99

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.09 €1.88

29.67%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$3.05 €2.74

65.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.54

$17.01 €15.28

-11.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$11.17 €10.03

-7.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.42

$16.35 €14.68

18.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$3.27 €2.94

-35.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.54 €2.28

-24.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.45 €2.20

-42.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.71 €2.43

-21.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$1.57 €1.41

-33.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.73 €1.55

-34.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.10 €0.99

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$2.30 €2.07

-64.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$12.15 €10.91

-54.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.97

$10.14 €9.11

-1.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$3.32 €2.99

-38.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$3.26 €2.93

-30.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.81 €1.62

-27.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.55

$39.87 €35.82

-23.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$2.83 €2.54

54.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.11 €1.89

10.90%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$20.1K €18.0K

40.69%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$32.0K €28.7K

-16.30%

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

$200 €180

$164 €148

21.63%

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

$25.17 €22.61

$29.01 €26.06

-13.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$19.04 €17.11

55.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.31

$29.86 €26.82

68.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

$6.61 €5.94

292.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.45

$9.89 €8.88

6.37%

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

$576 €518

$996 €894

-42.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$15.8K €14.2K

-18.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$72.1 €64.8

24.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$30.47 €27.37

29.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$103 €92.3

2.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$151 €135

-17.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$515 €463

43.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €577

$370 €332

73.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$873 €785

49.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$716 €643

56.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,603

$1,677 €1,506

139.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,950

$1,619 €1,454

102.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

$2,255 €2,026

-45.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.67

22.07%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8% 42.4% $273

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6% 8.6% $27

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8% 16.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2% 0.7% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5% 30.6% $22

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5% 9.9% $4.5

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 $740 in Athens and $515 in Saint-Etienne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint-Etienne pays 84% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $57 in Saint-Etienne. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $339, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

172,718

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Saint-Etienne 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint-Etienne wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Saint-Etienne the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Athens. 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: $740 in Athens versus $515 in Saint-Etienne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint-Etienne – a meal for two runs $57 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,759 per month in Athens versus $1,436 in Saint-Etienne – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.