Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zalaegerszeg

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalaegerszeg: $1,079 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Zalaegerszeg
Learn more

Zalaegerszeg Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Zalaegerszeg

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zalaegerszeg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg.

Athens $1,775
Zalaegerszeg $1,079

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,632 in Zalaegerszeg.

Athens $2,721
Zalaegerszeg $1,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,185 in Zalaegerszeg.

Athens $3,666
Zalaegerszeg $2,185

Living in Athens is roughly 64% more expensive than in Zalaegerszeg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Zalaegerszeg is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.82

$13.95 Ft 4,497

19.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.2

$61.5 Ft 19.8K

10.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.89

$9.40 Ft 3,029

18.51%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.99 Ft 963

34.78%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.05 Ft 659

35.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.48

$1.29 Ft 415

-57.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.09

$1.97 Ft 635

191.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$2.03 Ft 655

168.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.19 Ft 382

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.49 Ft 479

-7.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.50 Ft 805

12.00%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.29

$3.46 Ft 1,114

39.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.37

$11.38 Ft 3,668

32.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.44

$5.85 Ft 1,885

81.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.36

$12.48 Ft 4,022

47.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.84 Ft 593

19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.68

$2.05 Ft 659

-7.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.03 Ft 653

-32.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.86

$4.01 Ft 1,291

-47.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.04 Ft 337

3.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.00 Ft 322

12.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.33 Ft 430

-15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.55 Ft 176

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.87

$7.83 Ft 2,524

-30.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €8.99

$6.17 Ft 1,990

64.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.12 Ft 362

90.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.09 Ft 674

7.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.14 Ft 368

19.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.55

$18.30 Ft 5,898

63.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.95

$3.41 Ft 1,098

30.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.25 Ft 402

-18.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.03

$20.06 Ft 6,466

-15.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €1.99

$1.80 Ft 579

25.00%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$28.6K Ft 9.2M

-1.90%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-16.49%

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

$205 €182

$144 Ft 46.4K

42.24%

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

$26.65 €23.67

$23.83 Ft 7,682

11.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €26.98

$23.45 Ft 7,558

29.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.39

$38.51 Ft 12.4K

41.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €22.98

$36.86 Ft 11.9K

-29.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.25

$7.45 Ft 2,402

39.87%

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

$569 €505

$216 Ft 69.8K

163.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$17.0K Ft 5.5M

-25.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.7

$29.98 Ft 9,664

195.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.93

$24.66 Ft 7,950

64.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.2

$51.0 Ft 16.4K

105.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$55.7 Ft 18.0K

117.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €658

$332 Ft 106.9K

123.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €581

$286 Ft 92.3K

128.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,154

$454 Ft 146.2K

186.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,019

$311 Ft 100.3K

268.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,565

$1,818 Ft 586.0K

120.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,073

$1,519 Ft 489.5K

127.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,103

$762 Ft 245.6K

63.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.45

-30.54%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zalaegerszeg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Zalaegerszeg

$286 26.6% 56.3% $368

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Zalaegerszeg

$240 22.3% 22.7% $70

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Zalaegerszeg

$203 18.8% 24.3% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Zalaegerszeg

$191 17.7% 27% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Zalaegerszeg

$73 6.7% 54.6% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Zalaegerszeg

$53 5% 29.1% $22

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Zalaegerszeg

$33 3% 27.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $332 in Zalaegerszeg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 63% 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $61.0 in Zalaegerszeg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $240 per month, with Zalaegerszeg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇭🇺 Zalaegerszeg

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

55,152

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Zalaegerszeg 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Zalaegerszeg

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 Zalaegerszeg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zalaegerszeg wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zalaegerszeg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $332 in Zalaegerszeg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zalaegerszeg – a meal for two runs $61.0 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 $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zalaegerszeg but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zalaegerszeg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zalaegerszeg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,079 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zalaegerszeg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Zalaegerszeg 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 Zalaegerszeg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.