Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and St. Gallen

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in St. Gallen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $3,632 in St. Gallen.

Athens $1,806
St. Gallen $3,632

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $5,284 in St. Gallen.

Athens $2,731
St. Gallen $5,284

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $6,937 in St. Gallen.

Athens $3,656
St. Gallen $6,937

Living in Athens costs roughly 50% less than in St. Gallen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, St. Gallen 171% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$29.41 CHF 24.41

-43.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$145 CHF 121

-54.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$17.82 CHF 14.79

-37.93%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$5.99 CHF 4.97

-30.88%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$5.81 CHF 4.83

-51.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$5.33 CHF 4.42

-89.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$9.23 CHF 7.66

-38.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$6.17 CHF 5.12

-11.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.23 CHF 1.85

-12.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.18 CHF 2.64

-55.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$3.68 CHF 3.06

-23.10%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$7.68 CHF 6.37

-34.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$25.41 CHF 21.09

-39.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$28.97 CHF 24.05

-64.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$38.85 CHF 32.25

-51.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.16 CHF 2.62

-31.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.61 CHF 1.33

18.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-40.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$6.01 CHF 4.99

-63.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.70 CHF 1.41

-35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$2.16 CHF 1.80

-47.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.16 CHF 1.79

-49.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.18 CHF 0.98

-29.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$10.65 CHF 8.84

-47.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$11.32 CHF 9.39

-9.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.18 CHF 1.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.31 CHF 1.92

6.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$4.17 CHF 3.46

-66.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$128 CHF 106

-75.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$6.64 CHF 5.51

-34.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$4.79 CHF 3.98

-78.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$77.3 CHF 64.2

-77.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.22 CHF 1.84

4.05%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$35.3K CHF 29.3K

-20.77%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

-29.00%

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

$210 €187

$305 CHF 253

-31.25%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$38.46 CHF 31.92

-30.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$54.2 CHF 44.95

-44.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$80.7 CHF 67.0

-32.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$30.32 CHF 25.16

-64.45%

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

$575 €513

$2,308 CHF 1,915

-75.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$31.8K CHF 26.4K

-58.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$146 CHF 122

-36.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$64.6 CHF 53.7

-37.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$147 CHF 122

-29.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$179 CHF 148

-28.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,734 CHF 1,439

-56.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$1,698 CHF 1,410

-61.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$2,854 CHF 2,369

-54.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$2,153 CHF 1,787

-46.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

-66.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$9,070 CHF 7,528

-61.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$6,528 CHF 5,418

-80.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.1

113.33%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for St. Gallen: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

St. Gallen

$1.7K 46% 160% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

St. Gallen

$572 15.5% 81.9% $258

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

St. Gallen

$464 12.6% 72.5% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

St. Gallen

$398 10.8% 49.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

St. Gallen

$242 6.6% 46.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

St. Gallen

$141 3.8% 85.6% $65

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

St. Gallen

$176 4.8% 282% $130

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,734 in St. Gallen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Gallen pays 425% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $145 in St. Gallen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $572 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

78,213

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens St. Gallen 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
St. Gallen

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. Gallen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 101% lower than in St. Gallen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 425% lower in St. Gallen. 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: $756 in Athens versus $1,734 in St. Gallen. 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 $66.0 versus $145 in St. Gallen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $3,632 in St. Gallen – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $3,632 in St. Gallen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in St. Gallen. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and St. Gallen 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 101% less than in St. Gallen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.