Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in San Jose

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Athens $1,775
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Athens $2,721
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Athens $3,666
San Jose $3,934

Living in Athens costs roughly 8% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$12.38 ₡5,551

34.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$60.9 ₡27.3K

11.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.45 ₡5,135

-2.71%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.39 ₡1,967

-8.20%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.70 ₡1,211

2.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.93 ₡864

-71.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.20 ₡1,433

79.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.41 ₡1,979

23.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.44 ₡1,093

-25.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.05 ₡1,369

-54.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.41 ₡1,081

16.18%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.40 ₡1,523

42.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.75 ₡4,823

40.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$10.43 ₡4,679

1.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$13.99 ₡6,273

31.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$5.25 ₡2,353

-58.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.59 ₡712

19.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.69 ₡2,103

-70.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.95 ₡1,770

-46.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$3.92 ₡1,760

-72.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.68 ₡1,651

-69.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.12 ₡503

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$3.19 ₡1,429

-72.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.00 ₡2,692

-8.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$19.56 ₡8,771

-48.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.82 ₡1,263

-24.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.59 ₡1,611

-37.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.12 ₡503

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-55.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$2.50 ₡1,119

78.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.63 ₡733

-37.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$8.50 ₡3,812

99.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.56 ₡701

44.23%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

25.09%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-20.66%

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

$205 €182

$95.2 ₡42.7K

114.87%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-25.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-48.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-25.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$24.85 ₡11.1K

4.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.58 ₡3,401

37.47%

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

$569 €506

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-43.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-26.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$70.5 ₡31.6K

25.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-27.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$130 ₡58.2K

-19.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$131 ₡58.7K

-7.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$927 ₡415.8K

-20.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$774 ₡347.2K

-15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-33.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-10.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,274 ₡1.0M

76.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,831 ₡821.0K

89.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,016 ₡455.8K

22.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

8.62

-48.03%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

San Jose

$774 40% 18.3% $120

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 29.2% $91

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 14.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 27.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

San Jose

$174 9% 8.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 16.6% $13

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 82.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 22% 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 $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $401, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

09:05 9:05 AM

9 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens San Jose 10,850 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
San Jose

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% 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 $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $61.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and San Jose 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.