Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bedford and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,097 in Bedford, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bedford outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

102

Cost of Living Index in Bedford
Learn more

Bedford Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Bedford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,097

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,097 in Bedford versus $1,775 in Athens.

Bedford $2,097
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,291 in Bedford versus $2,721 in Athens.

Bedford $3,291
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,486 in Bedford versus $3,666 in Athens.

Bedford $4,486
Athens $3,666

Living in Bedford is roughly 18% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bedford 55% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.10 £15.08

$16.69 €14.84

20.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 £65.0

$67.8 €60.3

27.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 £7.99

$11.14 €9.91

-4.40%

Cappuccino

$4.59 £3.44

$4.03 €3.58

13.90%

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

$2.03 £1.52

$2.77 €2.46

-26.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 £0.91

$0.55 €0.49

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 £4.84

$5.74 €5.10

12.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 £4.38

$5.45 €4.85

7.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.82 €1.62

-6.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.38 €1.23

5.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.80 €2.49

-40.00%

Eggs

$3.80 £2.85

$4.83 €4.30

-21.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 £6.82

$15.05 €13.39

-39.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 £6.72

$10.63 €9.45

-15.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.62 £9.47

$18.43 €16.39

-31.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 £2.44

$2.20 €1.96

48.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.90 €1.69

-31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 £1.85

$1.37 €1.22

80.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.10 €1.87

52.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.08 €0.96

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.12 €1.00

17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 £0.77

$1.12 €1.00

-8.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 £0.97

$0.88 €0.79

47.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.05 £17.29

$5.48 €4.88

320.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.65 £7.99

$10.13 €9.01

5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 £1.94

$2.13 €1.89

21.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.25 €2.00

4.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 £1.92

$1.36 €1.21

88.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 £3.74

$4.45 €3.96

12.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.02 €0.90

40.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 £17.95

$16.92 €15.05

41.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$2.25 €2.00

-14.67%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$28.0K €24.9K

33.66%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$28.2K €25.1K

43.54%

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

$316 £237

$205 €182

54.48%

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

$17.63 £13.22

$26.65 €23.71

-33.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.85 £29.90

$30.38 €27.02

31.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.86 £27.66

$54.5 €48.47

-32.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 £11.93

$10.42 €9.27

52.59%

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

$937 £703

$569 €506

64.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.2K

$12.6K €11.2K

71.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.92 £17.95

$88.7 €78.9

-73.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.54 £19.16

$40.46 €35.99

-36.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 £59.7

$105 €93.3

-24.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 £65.1

$121 €108

-28.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 £837

$741 €659

50.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 £714

$655 €582

45.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,353 £1,766

$1,300 €1,156

81.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 £1,499

$1,148 €1,021

74.01%

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)

$3,170 £2,378

$1,242 €1,105

155.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.67

4.48

4.24%

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

Last update for Bedford: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bedford

$952 45.4%

Athens

$655 36.9% 31.2% $297

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bedford

$374 17.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 30% $112

Eating Out

Bedford

$305 14.5%

Athens

$268 15.1% 12% $37

Groceries & Markets

Bedford

$279 13.3%

Athens

$310 17.5% 11.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Bedford

$97 4.6%

Athens

$160 9% 64.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bedford

$69 3.3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 9.7% $6.7

Getting Around

Bedford

$22 * 1.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 101% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,115 in Bedford and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bedford pays 155% 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: $87.0 in Bedford vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $310, with Bedford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bedford

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

2 h ahead of Bedford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,000

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bedford Athens 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bedford
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

Bedford vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Bedford. 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 155% higher in Bedford, 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: $1,115 in Bedford versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $937 in Bedford versus $569 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $87.0 in Bedford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,097 in Bedford, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Bedford. 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, Bedford 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 18% less than in Bedford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.