Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Scarborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,133 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Scarborough

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,133 in Scarborough.

Athens $1,775
Scarborough $2,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,068 in Scarborough.

Athens $2,721
Scarborough $3,068

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,002 in Scarborough.

Athens $3,666
Scarborough $4,002

Living in Athens costs roughly 17% less than in Scarborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Scarborough 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$14.76 £11.07

13.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$69.4 £52.0

-2.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.68 £8.76

-4.62%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.37 £2.53

19.58%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.08 £1.56

33.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.99 £0.74

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$4.76 £3.57

20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.34 £3.25

25.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.22 £0.91

49.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.35 £1.02

2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.07 £0.81

161.68%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.57 £2.68

35.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$7.78 £5.84

93.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$7.28 £5.46

46.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.08 £10.57

30.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.22 £2.41

-31.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.07 £1.55

-8.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.65 £1.99

-48.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.08 £1.56

0.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.75 £1.31

-38.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.60 £1.20

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.15 £0.86

-2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.98 £1.48

-55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$22.60 £16.95

-75.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$9.06 £6.80

11.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$3.55 £2.67

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.64 £2.73

-38.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.35 £2.51

-59.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$87.0 £65.3

-65.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.45 £4.09

-18.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$5.05 £3.79

-79.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$32.92 £24.70

-48.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.94 £1.45

15.98%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.7K £26.7K

-21.38%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$39.0K £29.2K

-27.53%

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

$205 €182

$356 £267

-42.49%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$25.73 £19.30

3.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$33.36 £25.02

-8.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$64.9 £48.70

-16.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$12.72 £9.54

103.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.57 £7.93

-1.42%

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

$569 €506

$1,742 £1,307

-67.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$14.7K £11.0K

-14.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$66.7 £50.0

32.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$35.45 £26.59

14.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$106 £79.2

-0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$114 £85.6

6.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$867 £651

-14.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$842 £632

-22.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,535 £1,152

-15.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,332 £999

-13.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$914 £686

35.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.53

-18.99%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Scarborough

$842 39.5% 28.6% $188

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Scarborough

$276 12.9% 11.2% $35

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Scarborough

$238 11.2% 11.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Scarborough

$415 19.5% 58.6% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Scarborough

$145 6.8% 9.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Scarborough

$86 4% 14.2% $11

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Scarborough

$131 6.2% 192% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $867 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 36% 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 $69.0 in Scarborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $276, with Scarborough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇧 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

10:14 10:14 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

61,749

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Scarborough 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Scarborough

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Scarborough. 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 36% 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 $867 in Scarborough. 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 $69.0 in Scarborough. 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 $2,133 in Scarborough – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,133 in Scarborough, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Scarborough. 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 Scarborough 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 20% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.