Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balbriggan and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,672 in Balbriggan, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Balbriggan
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Balbriggan Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Balbriggan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,672

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balbriggan and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Balbriggan and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,672 in Balbriggan versus $1,775 in Athens.

Balbriggan $2,672
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,921 in Balbriggan versus $2,721 in Athens.

Balbriggan $3,921
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,171 in Balbriggan versus $3,666 in Athens.

Balbriggan $5,171
Athens $3,666

Living in Balbriggan is roughly 51% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Balbriggan 98% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.23 €20.66

$16.69 €14.84

39.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.8

$67.8 €60.3

50.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.42 €11.93

$11.14 €9.91

20.47%

Cappuccino

$4.76 €4.23

$4.03 €3.58

18.11%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$2.77 €2.46

7.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.55 €0.49

292.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 €6.91

$5.74 €5.10

35.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 €6.55

$5.45 €4.84

35.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.82 €1.62

-11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.38 €1.23

72.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.80 €2.49

-28.93%

Eggs

$3.14 €2.79

$4.83 €4.30

-34.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 €8.85

$15.05 €13.39

-33.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.92 €11.49

$10.63 €9.45

21.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 €14.03

$18.43 €16.39

-14.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 €2.51

$2.20 €1.96

28.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.90 €1.69

19.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.45

$1.37 €1.22

101.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.10 €4.53

$2.10 €1.87

142.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.08 €0.96

72.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.12 €1.00

33.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.12 €1.00

17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.88 €0.79

126.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.44 €19.07

$5.48 €4.88

291.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 €11.94

$10.13 €9.01

32.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.13 €1.89

33.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.25 €2.00

13.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.36 €1.21

93.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 €117

$29.89 €26.59

341.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 €4.59

$4.45 €3.96

15.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.02 €0.90

50.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.03 €33.82

$16.92 €15.05

124.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.25 €2.00

-5.33%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$28.0K €24.9K

38.62%

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

$38.7K €34.4K

$28.2K €25.1K

37.02%

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

$168 €150

$205 €182

-17.76%

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

$16.66 €14.82

$26.65 €23.70

-37.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.50 €39.58

$30.38 €27.02

46.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.77

$54.5 €48.46

-1.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 €11.89

$10.42 €9.27

28.31%

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

$1,271 €1,131

$569 €506

123.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,345 €4,754

$12.6K €11.2K

-57.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €95.7

$88.7 €78.9

21.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 €25.24

$40.46 €35.99

-29.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.3 €54.5

$105 €93.3

-41.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$121 €108

8.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,552 €1,380

$741 €659

109.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 €1,201

$655 €582

106.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,611 €2,322

$1,300 €1,156

100.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 €1,854

$1,148 €1,021

81.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,302 €2,047

$1,242 €1,105

85.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.48

-14.73%

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

Last update for Balbriggan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balbriggan

$1.4K 50.5%

Athens

$655 36.9% 51.5% $696

Eating Out

Balbriggan

$357 13.4%

Athens

$268 15.1% 25% $89

Groceries & Markets

Balbriggan

$350 13.1%

Athens

$310 17.5% 11.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balbriggan

$229 8.6%

Athens

$262 14.7% 14% $32

Getting Around

Balbriggan

$155 5.8%

Athens

$45 2.5% 71.1% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Balbriggan

$148 5.5%

Athens

$160 9% 8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Balbriggan

$80 3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 6.4% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,552 in Balbriggan and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balbriggan pays 85% 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: $102 in Balbriggan vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Balbriggan

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

09:44 9:44 AM

2 h ahead of Balbriggan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,322

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Balbriggan Athens 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Balbriggan
Athens

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

Balbriggan vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Balbriggan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Balbriggan, 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: $1,552 in Balbriggan versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $102 in Balbriggan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,672 per month in Balbriggan versus $1,775 in Athens – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,672 in Balbriggan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Balbriggan. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Balbriggan and Athens 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Balbriggan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.