Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,057 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Welkom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,057 in Welkom.

Athens $1,775
Welkom $1,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,595 in Welkom.

Athens $2,721
Welkom $1,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,132 in Welkom.

Athens $3,666
Welkom $2,132

Living in Athens is roughly 68% more expensive than in Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Welkom is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$9.03 R 149

84.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$20.75 R 342

226.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.50 R 90.6

102.55%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.30 R 37.92

75.22%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.50 R 8.20

454.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.63 R 10.32

-12.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.19 R 19.67

382.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$1.52 R 25.05

258.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.05 R 17.35

73.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.06 R 17.42

30.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.42 R 23.35

97.18%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.80 R 29.60

168.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$6.71 R 111

124.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$4.52 R 74.4

135.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$4.82 R 79.5

282.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.52 R 25.12

44.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.68 R 27.69

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.72 R 28.42

-20.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.20 R 19.72

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.13 R 18.54

-4.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.22 R 20.09

-8.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.95 R 15.69

17.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.34 R 22.12

-34.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$2.48 R 40.92

120.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$2.44 R 40.23

315.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.53 R 25.18

39.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.83 R 30.12

22.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.44 R 23.72

-5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.31 R 5.11

1335.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.81 R 13.35

25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$14.49 R 239

16.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.52 R 25.04

48.03%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.3K R 581.8K

-20.62%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$34.5K R 568.2K

-18.14%

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

$205 €182

$151 R 2,491

35.31%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$37.35 R 615

-28.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$36.39 R 600

-16.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$32.34 R 533

68.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$9.53 R 157

171.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.32 R 121

42.35%

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

$569 €506

$265 R 4,368

114.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,448 R 89.8K

131.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$54.2 R 893

63.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$31.69 R 522

27.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$92.2 R 1,519

13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$82.6 R 1,361

46.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$394 R 6,490

88.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$364 R 5,997

79.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$729 R 12.0K

78.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$736 R 12.1K

56.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$950 R 15.6K

322.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$754 R 12.4K

358.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.34

-60.49%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Welkom

$364 34.4% 44.4% $291

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Welkom

$164 15.5% 47.3% $147

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Welkom

$130 12.3% 51.6% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Welkom

$225 21.3% 14% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 26.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Welkom

$47 4.5% 37.6% $28

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Welkom

$10 * 1% 77.5% $35

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 $741 in Athens and $394 in Welkom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $21.00 in Welkom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $164 per month, with Welkom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

18:46 6:46 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

64,130

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Welkom 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Welkom wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Welkom the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $1,585 in Welkom 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: $741 in Athens versus $394 in Welkom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $265 in Welkom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Welkom – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,057 in Welkom versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Welkom but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Welkom the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Welkom delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,057 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Welkom hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Welkom 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 Welkom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.