Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sandton

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandton: $1,237 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sandton
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Sandton Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Sandton

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sandton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,237 in Sandton.

Athens $1,775
Sandton $1,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,889 in Sandton.

Athens $2,721
Sandton $1,889

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,540 in Sandton.

Athens $3,666
Sandton $2,540

Living in Athens is roughly 43% more expensive than in Sandton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Sandton is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.67 R 176

56.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$43.72 R 720

55.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.57 R 91.8

100.00%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.45 R 40.32

64.49%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.04 R 17.12

166.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.90 R 14.81

-38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.30 R 37.94

149.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.99 R 49.28

82.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.16 R 19.03

56.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.09 R 18.03

26.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.85 R 30.46

51.35%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.65 R 43.64

82.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.63 R 142

74.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$4.84 R 79.8

119.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$7.21 R 119

155.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.11 R 34.80

4.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.84 R 30.32

3.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.86 R 30.59

-26.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.88 R 30.92

11.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.56 R 25.75

-30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.80 R 29.59

-37.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.23 R 20.26

-8.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.33 R 21.86

-33.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.32 R 54.7

65.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.09 R 100

66.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.57 R 25.87

35.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.99 R 32.86

13.07%

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

$0.29 R 4.76

1434.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.89 R 14.59

14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$14.62 R 241

15.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.49 R 24.54

51.01%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.0K R 592.9K

-22.11%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$33.2K R 546.5K

-14.90%

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

$205 €182

$164 R 2,695

25.06%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$38.50 R 634

-30.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$36.37 R 599

-16.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$36.64 R 604

48.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.18 R 118

45.13%

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

$569 €506

$260 R 4,287

118.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$7,283 R 120.0K

72.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$58.1 R 957

52.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$46.40 R 764

-12.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$96.3 R 1,586

9.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$90.1 R 1,485

34.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$542 R 8,927

36.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$452 R 7,447

44.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$997 R 16.4K

30.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$853 R 14.1K

34.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$832 R 13.7K

382.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$744 R 12.3K

364.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,808 R 29.8K

-31.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-59.27%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sandton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Sandton

$452 36.5% 30.9% $203

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Sandton

$204 16.5% 34.4% $107

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Sandton

$157 12.7% 41.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Sandton

$238 19.3% 8.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Sandton

$131 10.6% 18.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sandton

$51 4.1% 32.3% $24

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sandton

$4.7 * 0.4% 89.5% $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 $542 in Sandton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandton pays 46% 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 $44.00 in Sandton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $204 per month, with Sandton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Sandton

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

11:06 11:06 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

222,415

💱 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 Sandton 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Sandton

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 Sandton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandton wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sandton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Sandton. 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: $741 in Athens versus $542 in Sandton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $260 in Sandton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sandton – 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 $1,237 in Sandton versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sandton but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sandton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sandton delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,237 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sandton hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Sandton 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 Sandton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.