Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zawiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiya: $441 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
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Zawiya Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zawiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $441 in Zawiya.

Athens $1,775
Zawiya $441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $685 in Zawiya.

Athens $2,721
Zawiya $685

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $929 in Zawiya.

Athens $3,666
Zawiya $929

Living in Athens is roughly 303% more expensive than in Zawiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Zawiya is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$2.39 LYD 15.32

598.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$15.64 LYD 100

333.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$2.68 LYD 17.16

315.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.45 LYD 2.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 LYD 3.80

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$0.42 LYD 2.68

859.52%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.41 LYD 2.63

575.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.12 LYD 0.80

358.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.92 LYD 5.90

97.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.20 LYD 1.28

590.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.98 LYD 6.26

185.71%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.35 LYD 8.65

257.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$4.65 LYD 29.77

223.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$3.58 LYD 22.97

196.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$8.99 LYD 57.6

105.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.94 LYD 12.46

13.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.44 LYD 9.21

31.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.68 LYD 4.38

101.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.50 LYD 3.18

320.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.62 LYD 3.96

74.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.28 LYD 1.80

300.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.30 LYD 1.92

273.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.18 LYD 1.18

388.89%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.75 LYD 4.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 LYD 4.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$1.72 LYD 11.03

218.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.80 LYD 5.13

70.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$39.03 LYD 250

-23.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.76 LYD 4.84

485.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.49 LYD 3.13

108.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$2.38 LYD 15.25

610.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.02 LYD 0.13

11150.00%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$15.2K LYD 97.4K

84.41%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$16.5K LYD 105.4K

71.58%

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

$205 €182

$94.2 LYD 603

117.27%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$5.59 LYD 35.80

376.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$12.12 LYD 77.7

150.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$16.94 LYD 109

221.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$3.84 LYD 24.61

573.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$3.78 LYD 24.25

175.66%

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

$569 €506

$52.5 LYD 337

983.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$879 LYD 5,630

1332.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$20.92 LYD 134

323.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$44.60 LYD 286

-9.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$31.29 LYD 200

235.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$30.69 LYD 197

295.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$89.2 LYD 572

730.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$58.3 LYD 373

1023.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$167 LYD 1,072

676.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$120 LYD 766

860.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$349 LYD 2,238

1049.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$95.9 LYD 614

3508.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$244 LYD 1,566

408.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zawiya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Zawiya

$58 13.2% 91.1% $596

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Zawiya

$109 24.7% 65% $202

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Zawiya

$34 7.8% 87.2% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Zawiya

$112 25.4% 57.2% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Zawiya

$57 13% 64.1% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Zawiya

$25 5.6% 67.5% $51

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Zawiya

$45 10.3% 1.2% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $89.2 in Zawiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 408% 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 $16.00 in Zawiya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $109 per month, with Zawiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

16:10 4:10 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

318,726

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Zawiya 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Zawiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zawiya wins on cost – living expenses run 303% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zawiya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 408% 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 $89.2 in Zawiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zawiya – a meal for two runs $16.00 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 $441 in Zawiya – a 303% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $441 in Zawiya versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zawiya but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zawiya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zawiya delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $441 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zawiya hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Zawiya 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 Zawiya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 303% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.