Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Žalec

For one person, living is cheaper in Žalec: $1,668 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Athens despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Žalec
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Žalec Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Žalec

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Žalec

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,668 in Žalec.

Athens $1,775
Žalec $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,408 in Žalec.

Athens $2,721
Žalec $2,408

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,148 in Žalec.

Athens $3,666
Žalec $3,148

Living in Athens is roughly 6% more expensive than in Žalec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Žalec 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.00 €8.89

66.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$40.77 €36.27

66.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.91 €7.03

40.83%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.93 €1.71

108.81%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.15 €2.80

-12.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.69 €1.51

-67.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.84 €3.41

49.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.82 €3.39

42.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.37 €1.21

32.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.23 €1.98

-38.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.82 €1.62

53.85%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.07 €3.62

18.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$9.11 €8.10

65.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$9.70 €8.62

9.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$15.04 €13.38

22.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.91 €1.70

15.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.59 €1.42

19.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.95 €1.73

-29.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.75 €2.44

-23.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.03 €0.91

4.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.81 €0.72

38.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.36 €1.21

-17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.71 €0.63

23.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.12 €5.44

-10.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.62 €5.89

53.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.39 €1.23

53.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.90 €1.69

18.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.39 €1.24

-2.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$33.91 €30.17

-11.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.94 €1.73

129.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.31 €1.16

-22.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$18.74 €16.67

-9.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.69 €1.50

33.14%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$28.9K €25.7K

-3.14%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$24.9K €22.1K

13.51%

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

$205 €182

$285 €254

-28.22%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$16.58 €14.75

60.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$28.32 €25.19

7.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$64.9 €57.7

-16.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.09 €8.97

3.27%

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

$569 €506

$651 €579

-12.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$14.2K €12.6K

-11.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$93.8 €83.4

-5.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$36.66 €32.61

10.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$110 €98.3

-5.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$123 €109

-1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$709 €631

4.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$605 €538

8.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,178 €1,048

10.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,003 €892

14.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,312 €2,946

21.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,285 €2,922

5.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,466 €1,304

-15.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.56

25.84%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Žalec: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Žalec

$605 36.3% 7.6% $50

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Žalec

$264 15.8% 15.1% $47

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Žalec

$173 10.4% 35.5% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Žalec

$330 19.8% 26.1% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Žalec

$164 9.8% 2.3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Žalec

$85 5.1% 13% $9.8

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Žalec

$48 2.9% 6.9% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $709 in Žalec. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Žalec pays 18% 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 $41.00 in Žalec for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $264 per month, with Žalec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇮 Žalec

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

06:10 6:10 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Žalec 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Žalec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Žalec wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Žalec the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Žalec. 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 $709 in Žalec. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Žalec – a meal for two runs $41.00 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 $1,668 in Žalec – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,668 in Žalec versus $1,775 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Žalec but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Žalec the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Žalec delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,668 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Žalec hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Žalec 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 Žalec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.