Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zaandam

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaandam: $1,349 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Zaandam
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Zaandam Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Zaandam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zaandam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,349 in Zaandam.

Athens $1,775
Zaandam $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,435 in Zaandam.

Athens $2,721
Zaandam $3,435

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $5,520 in Zaandam.

Athens $3,666
Zaandam $5,520

Living in Athens is roughly 32% more expensive than in Zaandam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Zaandam 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$22.15 €19.70

-24.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$81.3 €72.3

-16.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$13.34 €11.87

-16.49%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.15 €3.69

-2.89%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.71 €3.30

-25.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$3.28 €2.92

-83.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.22 €4.64

4.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.29 €1.15

41.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.79 €2.48

-50.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.73 €2.43

2.56%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.72 €4.20

2.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.49 €12.00

11.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$12.55 €11.17

-15.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$16.72 €14.87

10.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.69 €2.39

-18.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.35 €2.09

-19.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.81 €1.61

-24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.22 €3.76

-50.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.88 €1.67

-42.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.27 €2.02

-50.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.23 €1.09

-8.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.04 €0.93

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$13.75 €12.23

-60.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.97 €6.20

45.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.50 €1.34

42.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.45 €2.18

-8.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.53 €3.14

-61.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$85.1 €75.7

-64.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$6.48 €5.76

-31.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.29 €2.04

-55.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$25.63 €22.80

-33.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.42 €2.15

-7.02%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$40.6K €36.1K

-31.01%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$37.9K €33.7K

-25.44%

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

$205 €182

$260 €231

-21.32%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$24.17 €21.50

10.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$55.6 €49.42

-45.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$45.37 €40.36

20.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$27.91 €24.83

-7.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$15.92 €14.16

-34.55%

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

$569 €506

$2,490 €2,215

-77.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$6,701 €5,960

87.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$84.8 €75.4

4.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$40.40 €35.94

0.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$98.5 €87.6

6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$103 €91.2

18.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,356 €1,206

-45.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,659 €1,475

-21.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$2,536 €2,256

-54.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$5,319 €4,731

-24.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$4,264 €3,793

-18.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$4,657 €4,143

-73.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.8

17.89%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zaandam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Zaandam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Zaandam

$334 24.8% 7.6% $23

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Zaandam

$334 24.8% 24.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Zaandam

$340 25.2% 29.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Zaandam

$147 10.9% 8.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Zaandam

$77 5.7% 2.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Zaandam

$117 8.7% 161% $72

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 $1,356 in Zaandam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zaandam pays 275% 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 $81.0 in Zaandam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $334 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇳🇱 Zaandam

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

12:37 12:37 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

76,804

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Zaandam 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Zaandam

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 Zaandam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zaandam wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zaandam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 275% lower in Zaandam. 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 $1,356 in Zaandam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zaandam – a meal for two runs $81.0 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 $1,349 in Zaandam – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,349 in Zaandam versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zaandam but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zaandam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zaandam delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,349 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zaandam hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Zaandam 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 Zaandam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.