Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sakarya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakarya: $955 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Sakarya
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Sakarya Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Sakarya

🇹🇷 Turkey

$955

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sakarya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $955 in Sakarya.

Athens $1,779
Sakarya $955

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,463 in Sakarya.

Athens $2,721
Sakarya $1,463

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,972 in Sakarya.

Athens $3,663
Sakarya $1,972

Living in Athens is roughly 86% more expensive than in Sakarya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Sakarya is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$7.48 ₺375

125.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$30.41 ₺1,525

117.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.98 ₺350

60.60%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.72 ₺186

9.68%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.91 ₺45.75

204.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.36 ₺17.91

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.83 ₺91.7

211.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.45 ₺123

155.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.99 ₺49.84

85.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.01 ₺50.8

41.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.03 ₺102

31.53%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.99 ₺99.9

148.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.86 ₺394

91.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$2.79 ₺140

293.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$17.68 ₺887

11.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.89 ₺94.9

12.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.84 ₺92.5

7.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.82 ₺41.03

62.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.25 ₺62.7

72.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.49 ₺24.38

116.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.28 ₺13.98

310.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.74 ₺36.92

45.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.75 ₺37.63

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.04 ₺102

167.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$13.92 ₺698

-27.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.95 ₺97.8

4.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.41 ₺171

-30.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.47 ₺23.33

187.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$60.6 ₺3,040

-49.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.02 ₺51.3

273.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.09 ₺54.6

-5.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$4.00 ₺201

312.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.32 ₺66.3

77.27%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-31.02%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$39.5K ₺2.0M

-32.70%

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

$202 €180

$43.91 ₺2,202

360.53%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$10.07 ₺505

166.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$14.28 ₺716

113.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$40.16 ₺2,014

34.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.95 ₺298

75.46%

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

$568 €505

$896 ₺44.9K

-36.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$14.6K ₺734.1K

3.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$37.28 ₺1,870

143.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$42.35 ₺2,124

-7.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$81.3 ₺4,076

29.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$70.3 ₺3,525

83.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$404 ₺20.2K

83.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$302 ₺15.1K

114.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$754 ₺37.8K

68.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$490 ₺24.6K

128.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,201 ₺60.2K

233.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$658 ₺33.0K

398.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$880 ₺44.2K

41.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

39.8

-88.84%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sakarya: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Sakarya

$302 31.6% 53.5% $347

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Sakarya

$215 22.5% 32% $101

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Sakarya

$145 15.1% 46.8% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Sakarya

$68 7.2% 73.7% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Sakarya

$104 10.9% 36.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sakarya

$52 5.5% 30.5% $23

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sakarya

$69 7.2% 53.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $404 in Sakarya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 41% 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: $66 in Athens vs $30 in Sakarya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $215 per month, with Sakarya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 Sakarya

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

07:38 7:38 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,094,481

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Sakarya 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Sakarya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sakarya wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sakarya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 41% 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: $742 in Athens versus $404 in Sakarya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sakarya – a meal for two runs $30 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $955 in Sakarya – Sakarya is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Sakarya wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.