Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $385 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$385

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Varkala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $385 in Varkala.

Athens $1,771
Varkala $385

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $612 in Varkala.

Athens $2,736
Varkala $612

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $839 in Varkala.

Athens $3,701
Varkala $839

Living in Athens is roughly 360% more expensive than in Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Varkala is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$2.37 ₹225

610.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$10.35 ₹983

559.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$3.51 ₹333

225.64%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$1.59 ₹151

155.35%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$0.37 ₹35.47

640.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.14 ₹13.74

278.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$1.76 ₹167

223.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$3.05 ₹290

86.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.65 ₹61.9

184.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.49 ₹46.20

193.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$0.71 ₹67.1

297.18%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$0.94 ₹89.0

417.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$5.13 ₹487

197.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$3.04 ₹289

240.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.04 ₹194

8.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.70 ₹66.4

174.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.94 ₹89.0

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.53 ₹50.4

284.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.36 ₹33.96

191.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.45 ₹42.91

160.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.45 ₹42.97

140.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.31 ₹29.84

170.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$3.85 ₹366

42.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$7.50 ₹712

35.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.79 ₹170

18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.80 ₹266

-18.57%

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

$5.36 ₹509

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.28 ₹26.45

389.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$8.66 ₹823

243.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$0.79 ₹75.2

455.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.25 ₹23.73

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$1.47 ₹140

1031.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.23 ₹116

93.50%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$14.1K ₹1.3M

100.99%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$22.0K ₹2.1M

23.55%

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

$203 €181

$38.61 ₹3,666

426.86%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$3.52 ₹334

661.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$7.28 ₹691

314.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$16.16 ₹1,534

232.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$7.04 ₹668

275.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$2.92 ₹277

262.67%

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

$566 €504

$51.7 ₹4,906

996.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$1,531 ₹145.4K

739.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$23.84 ₹2,264

273.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$25.34 ₹2,406

59.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$42.87 ₹4,070

142.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$30.88 ₹2,932

302.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$126 ₹12.0K

476.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$74.7 ₹7,094

766.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$269 ₹25.6K

393.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$179 ₹17.0K

554.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$1,076 ₹102.2K

273.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$607 ₹57.6K

474.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

8.67

-48.33%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Varkala: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Varkala

$75 19.4% 88.5% $573

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Varkala

$106 27.6% 65.9% $206

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Varkala

$66 17% 75.8% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Varkala

$49 12.8% 81% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Varkala

$55 14.4% 65.6% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Varkala

$22 5.7% 70.6% $53

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 73.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $126 in Varkala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $10.00 in Varkala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $106 per month, with Varkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

02:01 2:01 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

50,000

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 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 Varkala 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varkala wins on cost – living expenses run 360% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Varkala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,657 in Athens and $578 in Varkala to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Athens versus $126 in Varkala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Varkala – a meal for two runs $10.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $385 in Varkala – a 360% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $385 in Varkala versus $1,771 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varkala but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Varkala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Varkala delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $385 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Varkala hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Varkala 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 Varkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 360% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.