Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $806 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
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Surat Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Surat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $806 in Surat.

Athens $1,806
Surat $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $826 in Surat.

Athens $2,731
Surat $826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $847 in Surat.

Athens $3,656
Surat $847

Living in Athens is roughly 124% more expensive than in Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Surat is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$3.18 ₹307

423.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$10.40 ₹1,006

536.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$3.14 ₹304

252.23%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$1.83 ₹177

126.23%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$0.36 ₹34.38

677.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.15 ₹14.56

280.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$2.92 ₹282

93.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.19 ₹309

71.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.73 ₹70.9

168.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.47 ₹45.50

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$0.66 ₹63.5

328.79%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$0.95 ₹91.5

430.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$4.34 ₹420

253.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$2.73 ₹265

278.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.70 ₹164

27.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$0.62 ₹59.6

208.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.80 ₹77.4

72.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.54 ₹52.2

307.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.35 ₹33.56

214.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.43 ₹41.73

162.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.48 ₹46.59

129.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.30 ₹28.89

176.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$5.12 ₹495

9.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$7.60 ₹735

34.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.86 ₹180

17.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$3.01 ₹291

-18.60%

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

$6.06 ₹586

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.22 ₹21.19

527.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$5.27 ₹510

485.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.59 ₹57.2

640.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.22 ₹21.32

372.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$1.07 ₹103

1499.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.13 ₹110

104.42%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$12.1K ₹1.2M

130.32%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$18.3K ₹1.8M

52.82%

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

$210 €187

$36.72 ₹3,554

471.21%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$3.64 ₹353

633.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$7.44 ₹720

304.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$18.59 ₹1,799

193.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$5.16 ₹499

404.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$2.88 ₹278

274.31%

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

$575 €513

$33.35 ₹3,227

1624.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$891 ₹86.2K

1372.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$22.51 ₹2,179

313.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$24.53 ₹2,374

65.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$40.90 ₹3,958

154.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$32.42 ₹3,137

295.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$216 ₹20.9K

249.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$499 ₹48.3K

30.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$375 ₹36.3K

245.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$201 ₹19.5K

478.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$660 ₹63.8K

507.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$309 ₹29.9K

1017.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$313 ₹30.3K

296.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

9.17

-51.15%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Surat: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Surat

$499 61.3% 23.5% $154

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Surat

$101 12.4% 67.9% $214

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Surat

$80 9.8% 70.3% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Surat

$48 5.9% 82.1% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Surat

$54 6.7% 67.1% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Surat

$24 3% 68% $52

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Surat

$7.8 1% 82.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $216 in Surat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 297% 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 $10.00 in Surat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $101 per month, with Surat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

08:40 8:40 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

6,936,534

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Surat 5,030 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat wins on cost – living expenses run 124% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Surat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 297% 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: $756 in Athens versus $216 in Surat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Surat – a meal for two runs $10.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. 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 $806 in Surat – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $806 in Surat versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Surat but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Surat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Surat delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Surat hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Surat 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 Surat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.