Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikesir and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikesir: $942 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Balikesir
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Balikesir Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Balikesir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$942

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balikesir 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 Balikesir and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $942 in Balikesir versus $1,779 in Athens.

Balikesir $942
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Balikesir versus $2,721 in Athens.

Balikesir $1,467
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,991 in Balikesir versus $3,663 in Athens.

Balikesir $1,991
Athens $3,663

Living in Balikesir costs roughly 47% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Balikesir is 30% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.88 ₺345

$16.83 €14.99

-59.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.55 ₺1,379

$66.0 €58.8

-58.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 ₺397

$11.21 €9.99

-29.26%

Cappuccino

$3.50 ₺175

$4.08 €3.64

-14.22%

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

$1.32 ₺66.3

$2.77 €2.47

-52.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₺17.07

$0.54 €0.48

-37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 ₺147

$5.70 €5.08

-48.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 ₺200

$6.26 €5.58

-36.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 ₺46.46

$1.84 €1.64

-49.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.48

$1.43 €1.27

-33.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ₺107

$2.67 €2.38

-20.22%

Eggs

$1.88 ₺93.9

$4.95 €4.41

-62.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.80 ₺390

$15.09 €13.45

-48.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ₺173

$10.99 €9.79

-68.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.60 ₺931

$19.77 €17.61

-5.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ₺92.7

$2.12 €1.89

-12.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₺82.3

$1.98 €1.76

-17.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 ₺49.35

$1.33 €1.19

-25.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 ₺49.11

$2.16 €1.92

-54.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 ₺22.48

$1.06 €0.94

-57.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 ₺15.22

$1.15 €1.02

-73.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₺36.27

$1.08 €0.97

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₺37.37

$0.85 €0.75

-11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.23 ₺112

$5.46 €4.86

-59.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 ₺567

$10.03 €8.93

12.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₺100

$2.04 €1.82

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 ₺152

$2.38 €2.12

27.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 ₺35.54

$1.35 €1.20

-47.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.40 ₺1,971

$30.52 €27.19

29.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 ₺56.1

$3.81 €3.39

-70.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ₺56.5

$1.03 €0.92

9.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 ₺200

$16.49 €14.68

-75.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₺65.6

$2.34 €2.09

-44.02%

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

$39.8K ₺2.0M

$27.8K €24.7K

43.21%

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

$40.4K ₺2.0M

$26.6K €23.7K

51.71%

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

$44.52 ₺2,228

$202 €180

-77.98%

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

$12.10 ₺605

$26.81 €23.88

-54.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.95 ₺748

$30.49 €27.16

-50.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.2 ₺2,961

$54.1 €48.17

9.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.92 ₺1,497

$27.40 €24.41

9.20%

Cinema Ticket

$4.04 ₺202

$10.44 €9.30

-61.30%

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

$589 ₺29.5K

$568 €506

3.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₺599.3K

$15.2K €13.5K

-21.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.59 ₺1,180

$90.7 €80.8

-73.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.28 ₺815

$39.32 €35.03

-58.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ₺3,544

$105 €93.7

-32.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.30 ₺2,017

$129 €115

-68.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ₺20.1K

$742 €661

-45.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ₺16.2K

$648 €578

-49.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 ₺41.4K

$1,271 €1,132

-34.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 ₺28.7K

$1,122 €999

-48.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,006 ₺50.4K

$3,999 €3,562

-74.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$806 ₺40.3K

$3,281 €2,923

-75.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,297 ₺64.9K

$1,245 €1,109

4.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

39.8

4.44

796.40%

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

Last update for Balikesir: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balikesir

$325 34.4%

Athens

$648 36.4% 99.8% $324

Groceries & Markets

Balikesir

$212 22.5%

Athens

$316 17.8% 49.3% $104

Eating Out

Balikesir

$150 15.9%

Athens

$272 15.3% 80.8% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikesir

$72 7.6%

Athens

$260 14.6% 263% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Balikesir

$68 7.2%

Athens

$164 9.2% 141% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Balikesir

$67 7.1%

Athens

$75 4.2% 11.5% $7.7

Getting Around

Balikesir

$49 5.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 8.4% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $401 in Balikesir and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balikesir pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28 in Balikesir vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $316 per month, with Balikesir cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Balikesir

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

1 h behind Balikesir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,196,170

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

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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

Balikesir vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Balikesir wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Balikesir the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Balikesir, 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: $401 in Balikesir versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Balikesir – a meal for two runs $28 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $942 per month in Balikesir versus $1,779 in Athens – Balikesir is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Balikesir is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.