Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Yens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $3,329 in Yens, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 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
162

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Yens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $3,329 in Yens.

Athens $1,775
Yens $3,329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $5,100 in Yens.

Athens $2,721
Yens $5,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $6,872 in Yens.

Athens $3,666
Yens $6,872

Living in Athens costs roughly 47% less than in Yens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Yens 147% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$29.34 CHF 24.16

-43.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$119 CHF 98.0

-43.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$15.95 CHF 13.14

-30.16%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$6.00 CHF 4.94

-32.83%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-44.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$4.27 CHF 3.51

-87.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$9.07 CHF 7.47

-36.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$7.69 CHF 6.34

-29.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.99 CHF 2.46

-53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-11.95%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$7.17 CHF 5.91

-32.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$23.95 CHF 19.73

-37.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$28.06 CHF 23.11

-62.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$39.38 CHF 32.44

-53.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.63 CHF 2.99

-39.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.95 CHF 1.61

-2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.52 CHF 2.08

-45.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.43 CHF 3.65

-52.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.62 CHF 1.34

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.94 CHF 1.60

-42.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.98 CHF 1.63

-43.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.27 CHF 1.05

-30.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.70 CHF 8.81

-48.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$11.98 CHF 9.87

-15.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-4.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-21.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-70.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$98.4 CHF 81.0

-69.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$7.70 CHF 6.34

-42.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$4.56 CHF 3.75

-77.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$84.2 CHF 69.3

-79.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.36 CHF 1.94

-4.66%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$41.9K CHF 34.5K

-33.08%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-28.89%

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

$205 €182

$274 CHF 225

-25.24%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$27.35 CHF 22.52

-2.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$51.4 CHF 42.31

-40.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$89.6 CHF 73.8

-39.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$45.51 CHF 37.48

-43.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$24.00 CHF 19.76

-56.58%

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

$569 €506

$2,954 CHF 2,433

-80.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

-58.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$141 CHF 116

-37.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$61.4 CHF 50.6

-34.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$138 CHF 114

-23.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$197 CHF 162

-38.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,679 CHF 1,383

-55.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,440 CHF 1,186

-54.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,839 CHF 2,338

-54.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$2,494 CHF 2,054

-53.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$16.2K CHF 13.3K

-75.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$12.0K CHF 9,900

-71.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

1.95

129.74%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Yens: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Yens

$1.4K 43.3% 120% $785

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Yens

$558 16.8% 79.7% $247

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Yens

$452 13.6% 68.7% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Yens

$352 10.6% 34.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Yens

$242 7.3% 51.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Yens

$138 4.1% 82.6% $62

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Yens

$147 4.4% 228% $102

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,679 in Yens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $119 in Yens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $558 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Yens

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

09:38 9:38 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

2,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Yens 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Athens
Yens

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 Yens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 88% lower than in Yens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $4,993 in Yens 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 $1,679 in Yens. 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 $68.0 versus $119 in Yens. 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 $3,329 in Yens – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $3,329 in Yens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Yens. 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 $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Yens 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 88% less than in Yens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.