Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,217 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Best outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,217 in Best versus $1,806 in Athens.

Best $2,217
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,095 in Best versus $2,731 in Athens.

Best $3,095
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,973 in Best versus $3,656 in Athens.

Best $3,973
Athens $3,656

Living in Best is roughly 23% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Best 65% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.31 €19.91

$16.66 €14.87

33.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 €77.2

$66.2 €59.1

30.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.94

$11.06 €9.87

10.76%

Cappuccino

$3.65 €3.26

$4.14 €3.69

-11.84%

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

$3.26 €2.91

$2.80 €2.50

16.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$0.57 €0.51

335.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €5.15

$5.64 €5.03

2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 €4.37

$5.46 €4.87

-10.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.96 €1.75

-42.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.41 €1.26

34.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.83 €2.53

-21.55%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.79

$5.04 €4.50

-38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 €10.07

$15.35 €13.70

-26.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 €10.26

$10.34 €9.23

11.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.24

$18.97 €16.93

-21.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.17 €1.93

-7.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.91 €1.70

-16.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.38 €1.23

25.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 €4.41

$2.20 €1.96

125.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.10 €0.98

6.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.13 €1.00

5.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.10 €0.99

0.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.83 €0.74

-14.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 €10.01

$5.60 €4.99

100.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.95

$10.19 €9.09

-45.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.18 €1.95

-30.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.45 €2.19

2.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.22

$1.38 €1.23

79.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 €63.3

$30.87 €27.55

129.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 €3.52

$4.37 €3.90

-9.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.04 €0.93

177.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 €26.52

$17.11 €15.27

73.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.31 €2.07

1.73%

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

$25.6K €22.9K

$28.0K €25.0K

-8.37%

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

$34.0K €30.3K

$28.0K €25.0K

21.29%

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

$185 €165

$210 €187

-11.76%

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

$14.56 €12.99

$26.70 €23.83

-45.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.61 €33.56

$30.13 €26.89

24.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 €35.98

$54.6 €48.72

-26.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 €22.60

$26.03 €23.23

-2.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 €12.47

$10.78 €9.62

29.59%

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

$1,298 €1,158

$575 €513

125.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,115 €4,564

$13.1K €11.7K

-61.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 €46.13

$93.2 €83.1

-44.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.89 €29.35

$40.68 €36.30

-19.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 €66.5

$104 €92.9

-28.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 €51.7

$128 €115

-54.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,378

$756 €674

104.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €982

$652 €582

68.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,763

$1,294 €1,154

52.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 €1,206

$1,163 €1,038

16.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,221 €4,659

$4,008 €3,577

30.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,354 €3,886

$3,452 €3,081

26.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,077 €3,639

$1,243 €1,110

227.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

4.48

-20.98%

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

Last update for Best: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Best

$1.1K 49.9%

Athens

$652 36.5% 40.7% $448

Eating Out

Best

$321 14.6%

Athens

$269 15% 16.2% $52

Groceries & Markets

Best

$281 12.8%

Athens

$315 17.6% 11.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Athens

$267 14.9% 12.4% $29

Getting Around

Best

$99 4.5%

Athens

$46 2.6% 53.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$98 4.4%

Athens

$165 9.2% 68.8% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Athens

$76 4.3% 11.6% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,544 in Best and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Best pays 228% 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: $86.0 in Best vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $281 vs $315, with Best cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

16:08 4:08 PM

1 h ahead of Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Best Athens 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Best
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

Best vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Best. 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 228% higher in Best, 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: $1,544 in Best versus $756 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 $66.0 versus $86.0 in Best. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,217 per month in Best versus $1,806 in Athens – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,217 in Best, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Best. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Best 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 23% less than in Best. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.