Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zgorzelec

For one person, living is cheaper in Zgorzelec: $1,412 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Zgorzelec
Learn more

Zgorzelec Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Zgorzelec

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zgorzelec

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,412 in Zgorzelec.

Athens $1,771
Zgorzelec $1,412

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,062 in Zgorzelec.

Athens $2,736
Zgorzelec $2,062

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $2,712 in Zgorzelec.

Athens $3,701
Zgorzelec $2,712

Living in Athens is roughly 25% more expensive than in Zgorzelec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Zgorzelec 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$8.96 zł 34.83

87.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$50.8 zł 197

34.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$7.65 zł 29.70

49.41%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$3.09 zł 12.02

31.39%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$0.88 zł 3.40

211.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.57 zł 6.09

-66.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$1.49 zł 5.77

281.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$2.01 zł 7.79

182.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.91 zł 3.52

103.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.20 zł 4.67

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.43 zł 5.54

97.20%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$3.60 zł 13.97

35.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$8.70 zł 33.79

75.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$6.13 zł 23.83

69.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$13.18 zł 51.2

44.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$0.86 zł 3.32

158.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.55 zł 6.04

23.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.68 zł 6.53

-16.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.50 zł 5.81

36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.66 zł 2.57

59.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.01 zł 3.91

15.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.23 zł 4.76

-12.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.69 zł 2.68

21.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$4.72 zł 18.35

16.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$7.56 zł 29.36

34.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$0.87 zł 3.39

144.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.40 zł 5.45

62.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.05 zł 4.07

30.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$30.83 zł 120

-3.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$2.23 zł 8.66

96.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.99 zł 3.85

1.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$12.86 zł 49.96

29.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.67 zł 6.47

42.51%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$30.9K zł 119.9K

-7.95%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$26.7K zł 103.9K

1.76%

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

$203 €181

$295 zł 1,147

-31.13%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$7.65 zł 29.71

250.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$18.94 zł 73.6

59.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$38.09 zł 148

40.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$21.82 zł 84.8

20.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$7.55 zł 29.35

40.26%

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

$566 €504

$483 zł 1,875

17.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$7,429 zł 28.9K

73.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$77.2 zł 300

15.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$37.43 zł 145

8.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$85.4 zł 332

21.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$108 zł 420

14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$603 zł 2,341

20.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$498 zł 1,935

29.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$994 zł 3,860

33.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$815 zł 3,168

43.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$2,924 zł 11.4K

37.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$2,192 zł 8,515

58.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$1,356 zł 5,270

-8.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.63

-32.43%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zgorzelec: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Zgorzelec

$498 35.3% 23.1% $149

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Zgorzelec

$205 14.5% 34.5% $108

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Zgorzelec

$153 10.8% 43.5% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Zgorzelec

$322 22.8% 23.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Zgorzelec

$139 9.8% 13.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Zgorzelec

$53 3.8% 28.9% $22

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Zgorzelec

$42 3% 5.3% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $603 in Zgorzelec. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zgorzelec pays 9% 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 $51.0 in Zgorzelec for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $205 per month, with Zgorzelec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇱 Zgorzelec

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

29,534

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Zgorzelec 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min 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 Zgorzelec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zgorzelec wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zgorzelec the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Zgorzelec. 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: $729 in Athens versus $603 in Zgorzelec. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zgorzelec – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $1,412 in Zgorzelec – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,412 in Zgorzelec versus $1,771 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zgorzelec but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zgorzelec the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zgorzelec delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,412 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zgorzelec hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Zgorzelec 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 Zgorzelec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.