Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Thiva

For one person, living is cheaper in Thiva: $1,154 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Thiva
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Thiva Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Thiva

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Thiva

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,154 in Thiva.

Athens $1,779
Thiva $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,582 in Thiva.

Athens $2,721
Thiva $1,582

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,010 in Thiva.

Athens $3,663
Thiva $2,010

Living in Athens is roughly 54% more expensive than in Thiva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Thiva is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.01

$11.15 €9.95

50.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.9

$59.7 €53.2

10.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €10.00

$6.73 €6.00

66.57%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.46 €2.20

65.85%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$2.39 €2.13

15.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.51 €0.46

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$4.51 €4.03

26.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.59

$2.74 €2.44

128.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.67 €1.49

10.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.43 €1.27

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.48 €2.21

7.66%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.42

$5.04 €4.49

-1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.46

$12.20 €10.88

23.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.80

$10.06 €8.98

9.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.63

$14.28 €12.74

38.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.64 €1.46

29.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.85 €1.65

7.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.03 €0.92

29.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.87 €1.67

15.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.94 €0.83

12.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.16 €1.03

-0.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.85 €0.76

27.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.63 €0.56

34.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.87

$4.57 €4.08

19.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.94

$7.35 €6.56

36.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.73 €1.54

17.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.88 €1.68

26.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.32 €1.18

2.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.40

$3.60 €3.21

5.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.99 €0.89

4.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.70

$22.49 €20.06

-26.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$2.09 €1.86

11.96%

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

$27.8K €24.8K

$27.7K €24.7K

0.42%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$24.4K €21.8K

8.84%

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

$202 €180

$168 €150

20.04%

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

$26.81 €23.91

$25.29 €22.56

6.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.19

$27.78 €24.78

9.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.23

$51.4 €45.81

5.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.44

$24.96 €22.26

9.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.31

$8.30 €7.41

25.78%

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

$568 €506

$336 €299

69.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$4,218 €3,763

259.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.9

$57.8 €51.5

56.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.08

$39.75 €35.46

-1.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.9

$82.0 €73.2

28.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$106 €94.8

21.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €662

$340 €303

118.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$277 €247

134.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,134

$620 €553

105.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,000

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,567

$1,743 €1,555

129.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,927

$1,404 €1,252

133.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,111

$1,133 €1,010

9.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

4.38

1.37%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Thiva: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Thiva

$277 24% 57.3% $371

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Thiva

$267 23.1% 15.7% $50

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Thiva

$179 15.5% 34.2% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Thiva

$222 19.2% 14.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Thiva

$129 11.1% 21.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Thiva

$68 5.9% 9.3% $7

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Thiva

$14 * 1.2% 69.1% $31

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 $742 in Athens and $340 in Thiva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 10% 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 in Athens vs $60 in Thiva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $267 per month, with Thiva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Thiva

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

22,883

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Thiva 53 km

From you

Athens
Thiva

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 Thiva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thiva wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Thiva the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 10% 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: $742 in Athens versus $340 in Thiva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $336 in Thiva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Thiva – a meal for two runs $60 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Thiva is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Athens and Thiva are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Thiva wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.