Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Varazdin

For one person, living is cheaper in Varazdin: $1,270 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Varazdin
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Varazdin Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Varazdin

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Varazdin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,270 in Varazdin.

Athens $1,775
Varazdin $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,842 in Varazdin.

Athens $2,721
Varazdin $1,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,414 in Varazdin.

Athens $3,666
Varazdin $2,414

Living in Athens is roughly 40% more expensive than in Varazdin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Varazdin is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$11.43 €10.17

46.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$61.8 €55.0

9.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.15 €9.03

9.75%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.26 €2.01

78.32%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.55 €2.27

8.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.96 €1.75

-71.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.94 €3.50

45.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.43 €3.05

58.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.18 €1.05

54.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.64 €1.45

-15.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.58 €2.29

8.53%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.40 €3.02

42.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$5.49 €4.88

174.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.31 €7.39

27.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.36 €12.77

28.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.67 €1.49

31.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.70 €1.51

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.77 €1.57

-22.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.38 €2.11

-11.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.25 €1.11

-13.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.14 €1.02

-1.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.10 €0.97

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.15 €1.02

-23.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.64 €5.01

-2.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.96 €7.08

27.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.76 €0.67

180.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.12 €1.89

6.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.38 €1.23

-1.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$44.38 €39.47

-32.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.41 €3.03

30.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.42 €1.26

-28.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$13.15 €11.70

28.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.64 €1.46

37.20%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$26.3K €23.4K

6.71%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$23.5K €20.9K

19.97%

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

$205 €182

$146 €130

40.27%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$13.93 €12.39

91.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$30.69 €27.30

-1.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$43.23 €38.46

26.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$12.78 €11.37

102.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$6.86 €6.10

51.90%

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

$569 €506

$154 €137

270.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$12.9K €11.5K

-2.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$73.5 €65.4

20.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$33.37 €29.68

21.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$61.4 €54.6

70.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$71.9 €64.0

68.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$560 €498

32.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$422 €375

55.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$876 €779

48.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$467 €416

145.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,127 €2,782

28.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,478 €2,204

39.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,379 €1,227

-9.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.73

20.11%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Varazdin: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Varazdin

$422 33.2% 35.5% $233

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Varazdin

$239 18.8% 23.1% $72

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Varazdin

$194 15.3% 27.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Varazdin

$190 15% 27.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Varazdin

$108 8.5% 32.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Varazdin

$57 4.5% 24.4% $18

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Varazdin

$60 4.8% 34.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $560 in Varazdin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varazdin pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $62.0 in Varazdin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $239 per month, with Varazdin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇭🇷 Varazdin

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

00:42 12:42 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

43,782

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Varazdin 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Varazdin

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 Varazdin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varazdin wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Varazdin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Varazdin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $560 in Varazdin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Varazdin – a meal for two runs $62.0 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 $1,270 in Varazdin – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,270 in Varazdin versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Varazdin but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Varazdin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Varazdin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,270 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Varazdin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Varazdin 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 Varazdin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.