Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Warsaw

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,045 in Warsaw, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Warsaw outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Warsaw
Learn more

Warsaw Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Warsaw

🇵🇱 Poland

$2,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Warsaw

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $2,045 in Warsaw.

Athens $1,806
Warsaw $2,045

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,944 in Warsaw.

Athens $2,731
Warsaw $2,944

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,843 in Warsaw.

Athens $3,656
Warsaw $3,843

Living in Athens costs roughly 12% less than in Warsaw, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Warsaw 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.85

$11.46 zł 44.74

45.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$61.2 zł 239

8.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.86

$10.40 zł 40.58

6.35%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$4.36 zł 17.03

-5.05%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.22 zł 8.65

26.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.24 zł 8.73

-74.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$4.67 zł 18.24

20.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$5.20 zł 20.28

5.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.05 zł 4.11

86.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.54 zł 6.00

-8.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.58 zł 6.15

79.11%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.49

$3.81 zł 14.88

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.68

$8.71 zł 34.00

76.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.22

$6.49 zł 25.34

59.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.92

$14.86 zł 58.0

27.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.20 zł 4.70

80.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.67 zł 6.51

14.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.64 zł 6.38

-15.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.25 zł 16.58

-48.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.92 zł 3.60

19.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.87 zł 3.40

29.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.48 zł 5.77

-25.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.64 zł 2.51

29.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$6.37 zł 24.86

-12.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.08

$6.37 zł 24.84

59.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.09 zł 4.25

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.63 zł 6.37

50.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.12 zł 4.35

23.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.52

$28.30 zł 110

9.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$2.63 zł 10.24

66.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.26 zł 4.93

-17.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.26

$12.86 zł 50.2

33.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.70 zł 6.64

35.88%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$30.2K zł 118.0K

-7.44%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$29.7K zł 116.1K

-5.80%

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

$210 €187

$352 zł 1,375

-40.46%

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

$26.70 €23.80

$9.15 zł 35.71

191.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.86

$16.14 zł 63.0

86.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.68

$45.94 zł 179

18.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.21

$28.38 zł 111

-8.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.61

$8.95 zł 34.93

20.45%

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

$575 €513

$600 zł 2,339

-4.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$14.3K zł 55.7K

-8.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$112 zł 436

-16.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.27

$41.03 zł 160

-0.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$107 zł 418

-2.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$110 zł 431

16.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,177 zł 4,594

-35.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$977 zł 3,812

-33.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,153

$2,096 zł 8,181

-38.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,037

$1,580 zł 6,166

-26.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,574

$5,960 zł 23.3K

-32.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,078

$3,860 zł 15.1K

-10.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,109

$2,096 zł 8,178

-40.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.62

-32.33%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Warsaw: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Warsaw

$977 46.8% 49.7% $324

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Warsaw

$234 11.2% 25.6% $81

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Warsaw

$227 10.9% 15.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Warsaw

$378 18.1% 41.6% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Warsaw

$167 8% 1.2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Warsaw

$64 3.1% 16.2% $12

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Warsaw

$42 2% 9.2% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,177 in Warsaw. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Warsaw pays 69% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $61.0 in Warsaw for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $234 per month, with Warsaw cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇱 Warsaw

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

04:50 4:50 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,861,599 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Warsaw 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Warsaw

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 Warsaw: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Warsaw. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Warsaw. 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: $756 in Athens versus $1,177 in Warsaw. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $61.0 in Warsaw. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $2,045 in Warsaw – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,045 in Warsaw, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Warsaw. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Warsaw 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Warsaw. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.