Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Samsun

For one person, living is cheaper in Samsun: $952 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
Learn more

Athens Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Samsun
Learn more

Samsun Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Samsun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Samsun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $952 in Samsun.

Athens $1,779
Samsun $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,631 in Samsun.

Athens $2,721
Samsun $1,631

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,310 in Samsun.

Athens $3,663
Samsun $2,310

Living in Athens is roughly 87% more expensive than in Samsun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Samsun is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$10.08 ₺506

66.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$59.8 ₺2,997

10.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$10.60 ₺532

5.75%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$4.03 ₺202

1.24%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.82 ₺41.01

237.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.29 ₺14.41

86.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.84 ₺92.1

209.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.98 ₺99.5

216.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.12 ₺56.1

64.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.95 ₺97.6

-26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.70 ₺136

-1.11%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.43 ₺122

103.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$8.15 ₺409

85.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.52 ₺277

99.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$26.85 ₺1,347

-26.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.38 ₺120

-10.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.41 ₺121

-17.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.44 ₺72.1

-7.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.07 ₺53.5

101.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.46 ₺22.99

130.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.33 ₺16.71

248.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.82 ₺41.01

31.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.62 ₺31.11

37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.07 ₺104

163.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.22 ₺462

8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.61 ₺80.6

26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.27 ₺114

4.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.56 ₺28.23

141.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$11.97 ₺601

154.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.03 ₺102

87.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.63 ₺31.40

63.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$6.33 ₺318

160.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.29 ₺64.5

81.40%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$39.8K ₺2.0M

-30.31%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$41.1K ₺2.1M

-35.35%

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

$202 €180

$89.2 ₺4,473

126.73%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$12.53 ₺629

113.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$12.49 ₺626

144.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$30.78 ₺1,544

75.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$6.08 ₺305

350.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$3.97 ₺199

162.97%

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

$568 €505

$249 ₺12.5K

128.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$24.41 ₺1,224

271.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$30.09 ₺1,509

30.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$70.6 ₺3,538

49.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$59.0 ₺2,960

118.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$344 ₺17.2K

115.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$253 ₺12.7K

156.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$759 ₺38.1K

67.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$592 ₺29.7K

89.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$973 ₺48.8K

310.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$654 ₺32.8K

402.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,040 ₺52.1K

19.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-90.94%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Samsun: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Samsun

$253 26.6% 60.9% $395

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Samsun

$265 27.8% 16.2% $51

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Samsun

$178 18.8% 34.3% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Samsun

$114 12% 56% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Samsun

$83 8.7% 49.4% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Samsun

$39 4.1% 48.3% $36

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Samsun

$19 2% 56.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $344 in Samsun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 20% 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 $60 in Samsun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $265 per month, with Samsun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 Samsun

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,295,927

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Samsun 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Samsun

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 Samsun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samsun wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Samsun the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% 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 $344 in Samsun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Samsun – a meal for two runs $60 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 $952 in Samsun – Samsun is about 47% 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.

Expats usually find Samsun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.