Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Somerset West

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,162 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Somerset West

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,162 in Somerset West.

Athens $1,775
Somerset West $1,162

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,890 in Somerset West.

Athens $2,721
Somerset West $1,890

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,618 in Somerset West.

Athens $3,666
Somerset West $2,618

Living in Athens is roughly 53% more expensive than in Somerset West, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Somerset West is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$11.86 R 195

40.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$45.93 R 757

47.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.42 R 89.3

105.54%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.17 R 35.82

85.71%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.03 R 16.99

168.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.91 R 15.02

-39.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.52 R 41.47

127.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.32 R 54.6

64.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.94 R 15.56

93.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.00 R 16.43

38.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.06 R 33.91

35.92%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.27 R 37.42

112.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.65 R 142

73.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.25 R 86.6

102.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$9.52 R 157

93.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.84 R 30.28

19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.90 R 31.24

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.69 R 27.83

-18.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.74 R 28.62

20.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.54 R 25.30

-29.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.54 R 25.30

-27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.29 R 21.21

-13.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.09 R 17.92

-19.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.28 R 54.0

67.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.98 R 98.5

69.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.34 R 22.13

58.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.76 R 28.95

27.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.12 R 18.52

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$59.4 R 979

-49.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.58 R 9.56

667.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.48 R 24.35

-31.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$5.08 R 83.7

233.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.43 R 23.49

57.34%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$28.8K R 474.1K

-2.60%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$30.0K R 494.4K

-5.93%

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

$205 €182

$85.2 R 1,404

140.17%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$28.77 R 474

-7.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$40.92 R 674

-25.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$45.25 R 745

20.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$10.76 R 177

140.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.19 R 118

44.92%

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

$569 €506

$261 R 4,308

117.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$3,633 R 59.9K

246.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$30.84 R 508

187.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$31.76 R 523

27.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$70.5 R 1,161

48.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$56.5 R 930

114.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$637 R 10.5K

16.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$425 R 6,997

54.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,358 R 22.4K

-4.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$935 R 15.4K

22.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,227 R 20.2K

227.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$907 R 14.9K

281.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,427 R 23.5K

-12.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.12

-55.73%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Somerset West: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Somerset West

$425 36.5% 35.1% $230

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Somerset West

$202 17.4% 35.1% $109

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Somerset West

$164 14.1% 38.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Somerset West

$155 13.3% 40.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Somerset West

$85 7.3% 46.7% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Somerset West

$60 5.1% 20.8% $16

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Somerset West

$72 6.2% 60.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $637 in Somerset West. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Somerset West pays 15% 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 $46.00 in Somerset West for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $202 per month, with Somerset West cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

55,166

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Somerset West 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Somerset West

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 Somerset West: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Somerset West wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Somerset West the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Somerset West. 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 $637 in Somerset West. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Somerset West – a meal for two runs $46.00 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 $1,162 in Somerset West – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,162 in Somerset West versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Somerset West but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Somerset West the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Somerset West delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,162 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Somerset West hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Somerset West 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 Somerset West gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.