Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and St Francis Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $1,022 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
50

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,022 in St Francis Bay.

Athens $1,775
St Francis Bay $1,022

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,650 in St Francis Bay.

Athens $2,721
St Francis Bay $1,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,278 in St Francis Bay.

Athens $3,666
St Francis Bay $2,278

Living in Athens is roughly 74% more expensive than in St Francis Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, St Francis Bay is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.85 R 179

53.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$42.05 R 693

61.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$3.65 R 60.2

205.21%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.14 R 35.18

88.32%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.02 R 16.76

171.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.73 R 11.98

-24.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.13 R 35.13

169.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$1.84 R 30.36

196.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.86 R 14.25

111.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.01 R 16.58

36.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.43 R 23.56

95.80%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.66 R 43.89

81.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$7.39 R 122

103.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.33 R 87.9

99.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$8.26 R 136

123.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.08 R 34.25

5.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.46 R 24.04

30.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.67 R 27.59

-17.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.79 R 29.48

17.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.65 R 27.26

-34.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.38 R 22.70

-18.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.22 R 20.15

-8.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.98 R 16.17

-10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.18 R 52.4

72.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.80 R 79.1

111.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.26 R 20.73

69.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.73 R 28.44

30.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.48 R 24.34

-8.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.57 R 9.45

680.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.49 R 8.13

108.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$8.19 R 135

106.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.36 R 22.46

65.44%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$20.3K R 334.8K

37.95%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$33.7K R 554.7K

-16.15%

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

$205 €182

$60.0 R 988

241.11%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$34.08 R 562

-21.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$41.40 R 682

-26.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$31.46 R 518

73.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$10.79 R 178

139.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.04 R 149

15.27%

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

$569 €506

$180 R 2,961

216.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$6,149 R 101.3K

104.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$71.5 R 1,178

24.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$37.62 R 620

7.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$110 R 1,812

-4.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$97.9 R 1,613

23.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$398 R 6,561

86.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$353 R 5,823

85.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$716 R 11.8K

81.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$715 R 11.8K

60.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$870 R 14.3K

361.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$665 R 11.0K

420.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.94

-62.48%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for St Francis Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

St Francis Bay

$353 34.6% 46% $301

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

St Francis Bay

$187 18.3% 39.7% $123

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

St Francis Bay

$145 14.2% 46% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

St Francis Bay

$135 13.3% 48.2% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

St Francis Bay

$143 14% 10.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

St Francis Bay

$50 4.9% 34.2% $26

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

St Francis Bay

$9 * 0.9% 80.1% $36

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 $398 in St Francis Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $42.00 in St Francis Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $187 per month, with St Francis Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

12:19 12:19 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

5,910

💱 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 St Francis Bay 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St Francis Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making St Francis Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $1,533 in St Francis Bay 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: $741 in Athens versus $398 in St Francis Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $180 in St Francis Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in St Francis Bay – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,022 in St Francis Bay versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in St Francis Bay but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes St Francis Bay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but St Francis Bay delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,022 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes St Francis Bay hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and St Francis Bay 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 St Francis Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.