Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zakynthos

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakynthos: $1,686 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Zakynthos
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Zakynthos Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Zakynthos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zakynthos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,686 in Zakynthos.

Athens $1,775
Zakynthos $1,686

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,543 in Zakynthos.

Athens $2,721
Zakynthos $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,400 in Zakynthos.

Athens $3,666
Zakynthos $3,400

Living in Athens is roughly 5% more expensive than in Zakynthos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Zakynthos 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$28.04 €24.94

-40.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$56.4 €50.1

20.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.05 €9.83

0.81%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.78 €4.25

-15.69%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$5.61 €4.99

-50.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.62 €0.55

-11.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$4.92 €4.38

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.75 €6.00

-19.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.28 €2.03

-20.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.92 €1.71

-28.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.56 €2.28

9.37%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.72 €4.19

2.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$14.78 €13.15

1.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$14.79 €13.15

-28.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$12.29 €10.93

49.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.55 €3.15

-38.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.09 €1.86

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.36 €1.21

0.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.91 €1.69

9.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.17 €1.04

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.17 €1.04

-4.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.11 €0.99

0.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.96 €1.75

-55.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.23 €4.65

4.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.11 €6.32

42.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.76 €1.56

21.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.61 €2.32

-13.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.00 €1.78

-32.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$44.72 €39.78

-33.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.27 €3.80

4.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.13 €1.00

-9.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$17.48 €15.55

-3.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.95 €1.74

15.38%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$23.9K €21.2K

17.43%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$21.8K €19.4K

29.61%

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

$205 €182

$201 €179

1.61%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$42.62 €37.91

-37.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$30.11 €26.79

0.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$50.1 €44.53

8.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$26.47 €23.55

-2.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.50 €8.45

9.68%

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

$569 €506

$428 €380

33.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$8,273 €7,359

52.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$89.3 €79.4

-0.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$39.12 €34.80

3.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$123 €109

-14.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$137 €122

-11.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$384 €341

93.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$394 €351

66.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$781 €695

66.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$562 €500

104.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,621 €2,331

53.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,228 €1,982

55.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,311 €1,166

-5.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.46

0.45%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zakynthos: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Zakynthos

$394 23.4% 39.8% $260

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Zakynthos

$334 19.8% 7.4% $23

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Zakynthos

$378 22.4% 40.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Zakynthos

$274 16.3% 4.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Zakynthos

$175 10.4% 9.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Zakynthos

$69 4.1% 8.3% $6.3

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Zakynthos

$63 3.7% 39.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $384 in Zakynthos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zakynthos pays 6% 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 $56.0 in Zakynthos. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $334, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Zakynthos

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

39,015

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Zakynthos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zakynthos wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zakynthos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Zakynthos. 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 $384 in Zakynthos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zakynthos – a meal for two runs $56.0 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 $1,686 in Zakynthos – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,686 in Zakynthos versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zakynthos but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zakynthos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zakynthos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,686 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zakynthos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Zakynthos 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 Zakynthos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.