Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $289 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Varanasi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $289 in Varanasi.

Athens $1,775
Varanasi $289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $476 in Varanasi.

Athens $2,721
Varanasi $476

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $663 in Varanasi.

Athens $3,666
Varanasi $663

Living in Athens is roughly 515% more expensive than in Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Varanasi is 79% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$1.82 ₹173

817.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$7.99 ₹759

748.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$3.10 ₹295

259.35%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.57 ₹149

156.69%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.41 ₹39.31

575.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.11 ₹10.47

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.60 ₹152

258.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.04 ₹194

167.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.62 ₹58.5

193.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.31 ₹29.90

345.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.53 ₹50.5

428.30%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$0.81 ₹77.3

496.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$3.20 ₹304

370.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$2.19 ₹208

385.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.40 ₹133

57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.60 ₹57.3

216.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.87 ₹82.7

57.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.32 ₹30.20

556.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.23 ₹21.68

369.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.25 ₹23.77

348.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.44 ₹42.08

154.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.28 ₹26.68

214.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.19 ₹303

71.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.83 ₹553

73.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.58 ₹150

34.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.87 ₹178

20.32%

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

$4.19 ₹398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.53 ₹50.7

156.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$9.63 ₹914

210.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.26 ₹24.88

1611.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.10 ₹9.62

920.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$1.02 ₹96.9

1558.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.05 ₹100

114.29%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$12.5K ₹1.2M

123.91%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$21.8K ₹2.1M

29.55%

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

$205 €182

$12.47 ₹1,185

1540.74%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$3.66 ₹348

628.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$6.98 ₹663

335.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$12.63 ₹1,199

331.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$2.86 ₹271

264.34%

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

$569 €506

$38.92 ₹3,696

1362.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,003 ₹95.2K

1155.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$22.70 ₹2,156

290.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$25.30 ₹2,403

59.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$37.80 ₹3,589

177.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$25.24 ₹2,397

380.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$111 ₹10.5K

568.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$47.37 ₹4,499

1281.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$196 ₹18.6K

563.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$140 ₹13.3K

717.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$569 ₹54.0K

605.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$333 ₹31.6K

940.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$578 ₹54.9K

114.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

8.53

-47.48%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Varanasi

$47 16.4% 92.8% $607

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Varanasi

$81 27.9% 74% $230

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Varanasi

$57 19.7% 78.8% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Varanasi

$23 8% 91.2% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Varanasi

$50 17.3% 68.8% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Varanasi

$18 6.4% 75.7% $57

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Varanasi

$13 4.3% 72.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $111 in Varanasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 115% 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 $8.00 in Varanasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $81.0 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Varanasi 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi wins on cost – living expenses run 515% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Varanasi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 115% 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 $111 in Varanasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Varanasi – a meal for two runs $8.00 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 $289 in Varanasi – a 515% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $289 in Varanasi versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varanasi but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Varanasi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Varanasi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $289 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Varanasi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Varanasi 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 Varanasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 515% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.