Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Shimla

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $306 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Shimla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $306 in Shimla.

Athens $1,775
Shimla $306

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $500 in Shimla.

Athens $2,721
Shimla $500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $694 in Shimla.

Athens $3,666
Shimla $694

Living in Athens is roughly 479% more expensive than in Shimla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Shimla is 77% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$1.53 ₹145

990.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$10.60 ₹1,006

539.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$3.11 ₹295

258.20%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$0.90 ₹85.3

347.78%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.35 ₹33.46

691.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.11 ₹10.75

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.60 ₹152

258.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.08 ₹197

162.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.64 ₹60.5

184.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.42 ₹40.15

228.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.62 ₹59.2

351.61%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$0.85 ₹80.3

468.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$4.28 ₹406

251.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$3.28 ₹311

224.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.80 ₹171

22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.70 ₹66.8

171.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.67 ₹64.0

104.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.48 ₹45.27

337.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.28 ₹26.57

285.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.36 ₹34.28

211.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.22 ₹20.91

409.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.27 ₹25.62

225.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.49 ₹331

57.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$8.35 ₹793

21.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.48 ₹140

43.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.02 ₹192

11.39%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.77 ₹358

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.22 ₹20.92

518.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$7.72 ₹733

287.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.08 ₹102

312.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.30 ₹28.25

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$1.08 ₹102

1466.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.07 ₹102

110.28%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$8,473 ₹804.6K

230.84%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$17.4K ₹1.7M

61.78%

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

$205 €182

$18.12 ₹1,721

1029.14%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$3.04 ₹289

776.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$6.76 ₹642

349.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$13.89 ₹1,319

292.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$10.41 ₹988

148.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$3.07 ₹291

239.41%

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

$569 €506

$40.81 ₹3,875

1294.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$2,117 ₹201.1K

494.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$25.09 ₹2,383

253.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$21.45 ₹2,037

88.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$38.68 ₹3,674

171.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$25.67 ₹2,438

372.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$84.2 ₹7,992

780.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$53.0 ₹5,037

1134.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$199 ₹18.9K

551.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$127 ₹12.1K

804.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$552 ₹52.4K

626.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$553 ₹52.5K

526.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$607 ₹57.7K

104.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

8.25

-45.70%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shimla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Shimla

$53 17.3% 91.9% $602

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Shimla

$98 31.9% 68.5% $213

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Shimla

$46 15.1% 82.7% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Shimla

$28 9.1% 89.3% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Shimla

$50 16.3% 68.8% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Shimla

$20 6.5% 73.4% $55

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Shimla

$11 3.7% 75.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $84.2 in Shimla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 105% 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $11.00 in Shimla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $98.0 per month, with Shimla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇳 Shimla

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

18:38 6:38 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

170,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Shimla 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Shimla

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 Shimla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shimla wins on cost – living expenses run 479% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shimla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 105% 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 $84.2 in Shimla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Shimla – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. 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 $306 in Shimla – a 479% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $306 in Shimla versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shimla but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Shimla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Shimla delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $306 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Shimla hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Shimla 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 Shimla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 479% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.