Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Usak

For one person, living is cheaper in Usak: $1,051 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Usak
Learn more

Usak Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Usak

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Usak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,051 in Usak.

Athens $1,779
Usak $1,051

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,635 in Usak.

Athens $2,721
Usak $1,635

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,219 in Usak.

Athens $3,663
Usak $2,219

Living in Athens is roughly 69% more expensive than in Usak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Usak is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$10.06 ₺505

67.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$43.08 ₺2,161

53.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$9.01 ₺452

24.42%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$4.27 ₺214

-4.45%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.94 ₺97.3

42.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.54 ₺27.05

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$3.66 ₺183

55.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$4.98 ₺250

25.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.04 ₺52.4

76.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.03 ₺51.8

38.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.98 ₺99.5

34.85%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.52 ₺126

96.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$9.30 ₺466

62.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.92 ₺247

123.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$19.76 ₺991

0.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.72 ₺86.1

23.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.80 ₺90.2

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.96 ₺48.15

38.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.40 ₺70.2

54.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.61 ₺30.54

73.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.56 ₺28.10

105.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.85 ₺42.61

27.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.68 ₺34.13

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.22 ₺111

145.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.98 ₺501

0.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.17 ₺109

-5.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.00 ₺150

-20.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.67 ₺33.40

101.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.77 ₺38.55

394.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.01 ₺50.8

1.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$4.93 ₺247

234.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.43 ₺71.7

63.64%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$47.4K ₺2.4M

-41.45%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-33.95%

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

$202 €180

$70.2 ₺3,521

188.10%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$11.34 ₺569

136.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$15.64 ₺785

94.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$54.3 ₺2,725

-0.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$7.08 ₺355

47.46%

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

$568 €505

$698 ₺35.0K

-18.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$17.8K ₺890.6K

-14.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$47.35 ₺2,375

91.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$32.50 ₺1,630

20.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$99.3 ₺4,980

5.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$81.3 ₺4,075

58.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$430 ₺21.6K

72.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$331 ₺16.6K

96.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$780 ₺39.1K

63.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$550 ₺27.6K

103.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,158 ₺58.1K

245.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,061 ₺53.2K

209.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$874 ₺43.8K

42.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-88.90%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Usak: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Usak

$331 31.5% 49% $318

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Usak

$232 22.1% 26.6% $84

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Usak

$197 18.7% 27.5% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Usak

$97 9.3% 62.6% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Usak

$117 11.2% 28.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Usak

$68 6.5% 8.6% $6.5

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Usak

$8.5 * 0.8% 81.1% $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 $742 in Athens and $430 in Usak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 43% 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 $43 in Usak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $232 per month, with Usak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 Usak

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

09:54 9:54 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

377,001

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Usak 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Usak

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 Usak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Usak wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Usak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% 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 $430 in Usak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $698 in Usak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Usak – a meal for two runs $43 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,051 in Usak versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Usak but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Usak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

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