Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Soest

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $1,925 in Soest, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Soest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Soest
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Soest Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Soest

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Soest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,925 in Soest.

Athens $1,759
Soest $1,925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $2,869 in Soest.

Athens $2,696
Soest $2,869

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $3,812 in Soest.

Athens $3,632
Soest $3,812

Living in Athens costs roughly 9% less than in Soest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Soest 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.32

$13.52 €12.15

26.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.2

$68.1 €61.2

-3.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$11.28 €10.13

-2.84%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$2.97 €2.66

38.05%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.19 €1.97

29.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$2.25 €2.02

-73.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$3.52 €3.17

59.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$2.29 €2.06

147.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.30 €1.16

46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.78 €1.60

-17.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$3.95 €3.55

-31.39%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$3.38 €3.04

49.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.55

$14.26 €12.82

5.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$11.78 €10.58

-12.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.43

$18.18 €16.34

6.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$2.60 €2.34

-18.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.97 €1.77

-3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.09 €1.88

-32.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.26 €2.03

-5.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$1.34 €1.20

-22.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.23 €1.10

-8.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.58 €1.42

-28.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.02 €0.92

-20.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$9.38 €8.43

-41.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.98

$6.07 €5.46

64.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$0.89 €0.80

129.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.47 €1.32

55.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$3.41 €3.06

-61.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.56

$60.6 €54.5

-49.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$3.84 €3.45

13.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.63 €2.36

-60.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$33.48 €30.08

-49.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.11

$2.05 €1.84

14.15%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$30.1K €27.1K

-6.19%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$38.5K €34.6K

-30.48%

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

$200 €180

$377 €339

-46.99%

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

$25.17 €22.62

$16.99 €15.27

48.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$43.10 €38.72

-31.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.32

$27.92 €25.08

80.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

$30.12 €27.07

-13.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.46

$10.60 €9.52

-0.75%

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

$576 €518

$467 €420

23.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$17.1K €15.3K

-24.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$128 €115

-29.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$33.35 €29.97

18.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$118 €106

-10.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$122 €110

1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$1,109 €997

-33.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €578

$644 €578

-0.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$1,457 €1,309

-10.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$1,142 €1,026

-1.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,604

$4,354 €3,912

-7.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,951

$3,673 €3,300

-10.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.96

13.13%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Soest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Soest

$644 33.4% 0.1% $0.9

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Soest

$305 15.9% 2.1% $6.6

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Soest

$218 11.3% 19.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Soest

$437 22.7% 71.6% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Soest

$181 9.4% 12% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Soest

$49 2.6% 31.3% $22

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Soest

$91 4.7% 101% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $1,109 in Soest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $68 in Soest. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $305, with Soest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇩🇪 Soest

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

47,460

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Soest 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Soest

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 Soest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $2,639 in Athens and $2,887 in Soest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $740 in Athens versus $1,109 in Soest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Athens versus $467 in Soest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66 versus $68 in Soest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Soest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.