Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Besancon and in Athens: $1,755 and $1,775 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,755

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,755 in Besancon versus $1,775 in Athens.

Besancon $1,755
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,536 in Besancon versus $2,721 in Athens.

Besancon $2,536
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,318 in Besancon versus $3,666 in Athens.

Besancon $3,318
Athens $3,666

Living in Besancon costs roughly 1% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Besancon 30% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.89

$16.69 €14.88

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.19

$67.8 €60.5

-18.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 €9.76

$11.14 €9.94

-1.80%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.71

$4.03 €3.59

-24.81%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$2.77 €2.47

-14.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.55 €0.49

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.87

$5.74 €5.12

14.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$5.45 €4.86

2.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.82 €1.62

-29.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.38 €1.23

23.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.80 €2.50

-23.57%

Eggs

$4.41 €3.94

$4.83 €4.31

-8.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.97 €17.81

$15.05 €13.43

32.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 €9.77

$10.63 €9.48

3.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$18.43 €16.44

-2.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.20 €1.96

20.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.90 €1.69

18.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.37 €1.22

98.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.10 €1.87

17.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.08 €0.96

135.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.12 €1.00

116.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.12 €1.00

27.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.88 €0.79

32.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 €12.29

$5.48 €4.89

151.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 €8.37

$10.13 €9.03

-7.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 €4.32

$2.13 €1.90

127.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.90

$2.25 €2.01

44.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.36 €1.22

23.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.17 €39.40

$29.89 €26.66

47.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 €2.71

$4.45 €3.97

-31.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.02 €0.91

107.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.05 €26.80

$16.92 €15.09

77.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.25 €2.00

-5.33%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$28.0K €25.0K

22.75%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$28.2K €25.2K

21.43%

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

$225 €200

$205 €183

9.76%

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

$14.65 €13.07

$26.65 €23.77

-45.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.19 €30.50

$30.38 €27.10

12.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.44 €23.58

$54.5 €48.60

-51.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 €17.55

$25.88 €23.08

-23.96%

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.10

$10.42 €9.29

8.64%

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

$339 €302

$569 €508

-40.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,309 €6,520

$12.6K €11.2K

-41.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.3

$88.7 €79.1

11.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 €34.41

$40.46 €36.09

-4.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 €83.0

$105 €93.6

-11.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$121 €108

1.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 €566

$741 €661

-14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 €527

$655 €584

-9.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$991 €884

$1,300 €1,159

-23.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 €717

$1,148 €1,024

-30.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,822 €2,517

$4,014 €3,580

-29.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,245 €2,002

$3,460 €3,087

-35.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,181 €1,945

$1,242 €1,108

75.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

4.48

-19.20%

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

Last update for Besancon: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Besancon

$590 33.6%

Athens

$655 36.9% 10.9% $64

Groceries & Markets

Besancon

$356 20.3%

Athens

$310 17.5% 12.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Besancon

$273 15.6%

Athens

$262 14.7% 4.3% $12

Eating Out

Besancon

$262 15%

Athens

$268 15.1% 2.2% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Besancon

$159 9.1%

Athens

$160 9% 0.3% $0.5

Getting Around

Besancon

$65 3.7%

Athens

$45 2.5% 30.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Besancon

$49 2.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 53.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $635 in Besancon and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 76% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Besancon vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $356 vs $310, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Besancon

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

1 h ahead of Besancon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,198

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

Besancon Athens 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Besancon
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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

Besancon vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Besancon wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Besancon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 76% higher in Besancon, 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: $635 in Besancon versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Besancon – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,755 per month in Besancon versus $1,775 in Athens – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,755 in Besancon versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Besancon but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Besancon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Besancon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,755 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Besancon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Besancon 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 Besancon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.