Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Szombathely

For one person, living is cheaper in Szombathely: $1,231 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Szombathely
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Szombathely Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Szombathely

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Szombathely

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,231 in Szombathely.

Athens $1,775
Szombathely $1,231

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,949 in Szombathely.

Athens $2,721
Szombathely $1,949

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

Athens $3,666
Szombathely $2,666

Living in Athens is roughly 44% more expensive than in Szombathely, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Szombathely is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.82

$11.55 Ft 3,724

44.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.2

$53.4 Ft 17.2K

26.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.89

$8.89 Ft 2,866

25.31%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.37 Ft 763

70.04%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.35 Ft 434

105.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.48

$1.28 Ft 413

-57.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.09

$1.72 Ft 555

233.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$2.32 Ft 749

134.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.21 Ft 389

50.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.57 Ft 508

-12.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.37 Ft 763

18.14%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.29

$3.14 Ft 1,014

53.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.37

$10.39 Ft 3,349

44.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.44

$6.55 Ft 2,111

62.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.36

$15.99 Ft 5,153

15.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.22 Ft 716

-0.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.68

$2.04 Ft 658

-6.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.52 Ft 813

-45.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.86

$3.38 Ft 1,089

-37.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.08 Ft 349

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.39 Ft 450

-19.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.88 Ft 605

-40.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.54 Ft 175

62.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.87

$8.82 Ft 2,842

-37.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €8.99

$4.54 Ft 1,462

123.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.21 Ft 390

76.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.62 Ft 846

-14.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.88 Ft 284

54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.55

$27.09 Ft 8,734

10.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.95

$2.68 Ft 865

66.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.37 Ft 441

-25.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.03

$23.64 Ft 7,620

-28.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €1.99

$1.85 Ft 596

21.62%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$28.8K Ft 9.3M

-2.71%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

-15.45%

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

$205 €182

$168 Ft 54.3K

21.48%

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

$26.65 €23.67

$20.42 Ft 6,584

30.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €26.98

$20.92 Ft 6,744

45.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.39

$46.96 Ft 15.1K

16.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €22.98

$20.68 Ft 6,666

25.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.25

$4.65 Ft 1,500

124.09%

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

$569 €505

$423 Ft 136.2K

34.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$7,637 Ft 2.5M

64.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.7

$103 Ft 33.0K

-13.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.93

$50.4 Ft 16.3K

-19.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.2

$96.9 Ft 31.2K

8.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$111 Ft 35.8K

9.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €658

$538 Ft 173.3K

37.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €581

$339 Ft 109.3K

93.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,154

$754 Ft 243.1K

72.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,019

$645 Ft 208.0K

77.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,565

$2,402 Ft 774.2K

67.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,073

$1,980 Ft 638.3K

74.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,103

$1,175 Ft 378.9K

5.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

7.5

-40.27%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Szombathely: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Szombathely

$339 27.5% 48.2% $316

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Szombathely

$252 20.5% 18.7% $58

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Szombathely

$171 13.9% 36.1% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Szombathely

$210 17% 19.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Szombathely

$162 13.2% 1.6% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Szombathely

$56 4.6% 25.3% $19

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Szombathely

$40 3.3% 10.6% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $538 in Szombathely. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 6% 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $53.0 in Szombathely for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $252 per month, with Szombathely cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇭🇺 Szombathely

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

77,757

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Szombathely 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Szombathely: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Szombathely wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Szombathely the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% 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: $741 in Athens versus $538 in Szombathely. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Szombathely – a meal for two runs $53.0 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 $1,231 in Szombathely – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,231 in Szombathely versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szombathely but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Szombathely the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Szombathely delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,231 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Szombathely hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Szombathely 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 Szombathely gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.