Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biel and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,826 in Biel, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Biel
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Biel Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Biel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,826

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,826 in Biel versus $1,775 in Athens.

Biel $2,826
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,452 in Biel versus $2,721 in Athens.

Biel $4,452
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,078 in Biel versus $3,666 in Athens.

Biel $6,078
Athens $3,666

Living in Biel is roughly 59% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Biel 109% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.08 CHF 24.77

$16.69 €14.84

80.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 CHF 88.9

$67.8 €60.3

59.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.28 CHF 15.06

$11.14 €9.91

64.09%

Cappuccino

$6.07 CHF 5.00

$4.03 €3.58

50.62%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.26

$2.77 €2.46

86.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.40

$0.55 €0.49

650.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 CHF 6.40

$5.74 €5.10

35.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CHF 4.04

$5.45 €4.85

-9.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$1.82 €1.62

14.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$1.38 €1.23

173.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 CHF 2.72

$2.80 €2.49

17.86%

Eggs

$7.19 CHF 5.92

$4.83 €4.30

48.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.93 CHF 18.06

$15.05 €13.39

45.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.12 CHF 22.34

$10.63 €9.45

155.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.83 CHF 31.98

$18.43 €16.39

110.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 CHF 2.52

$2.20 €1.96

39.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.90 €1.69

7.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.02

$1.37 €1.22

79.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.55

$2.10 €1.87

47.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 CHF 1.21

$1.08 €0.96

36.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 CHF 1.49

$1.12 €1.00

61.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.12 €1.00

82.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 CHF 0.87

$0.88 €0.79

19.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.05

$5.48 €4.88

100.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 CHF 12.28

$10.13 €9.01

47.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 CHF 0.76

$2.13 €1.89

-56.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$2.25 €2.00

-21.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.91 CHF 4.04

$1.36 €1.21

261.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.3 CHF 76.9

$29.89 €26.59

212.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 CHF 6.46

$4.45 €3.96

76.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$1.02 €0.90

344.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.0 CHF 68.4

$16.92 €15.05

390.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.25 €2.00

-1.33%

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

$41.7K CHF 34.4K

$28.0K €24.9K

48.83%

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

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

$28.2K €25.1K

23.39%

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

$137 CHF 113

$205 €182

-32.83%

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

$35.74 CHF 29.43

$26.65 €23.71

34.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 CHF 41.30

$30.38 €27.02

65.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 CHF 63.6

$54.5 €48.47

41.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$21.92 CHF 18.05

$10.42 €9.27

110.36%

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

$2,620 CHF 2,158

$569 €506

360.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K CHF 30.6K

$12.6K €11.2K

195.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 CHF 89.2

$88.7 €78.9

22.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.74 CHF 33.56

$40.46 €35.99

0.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 CHF 112

$105 €93.3

29.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$219 CHF 180

$121 €108

80.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,022

$741 €659

67.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 CHF 922

$655 €582

71.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 CHF 1,874

$1,300 €1,156

75.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 CHF 1,676

$1,148 €1,021

77.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,683 CHF 7,975

$4,014 €3,570

141.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,818 CHF 6,439

$3,460 €3,078

125.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,516 CHF 4,543

$1,242 €1,105

344.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.68

4.48

-62.50%

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

Last update for Biel: 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

Biel

$1.1K 39.6%

Athens

$655 36.9% 41.5% $465

Groceries & Markets

Biel

$538 19%

Athens

$310 17.5% 42.3% $228

Eating Out

Biel

$454 16.1%

Athens

$268 15.1% 41% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Biel

$227 8%

Athens

$160 9% 29.5% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Biel

$223 7.9%

Athens

$262 14.7% 17.2% $38

Getting Around

Biel

$143 5.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 68.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Biel

$121 4.3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 37.8% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Biel and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Biel pays 344% 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: $108 in Biel vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $538 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Biel

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

1 h ahead of Biel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,378

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

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

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Biel Athens 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Biel
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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

Biel vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Biel. 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 344% higher in Biel, 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: $1,240 in Biel 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 $108 in Biel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,826 per month in Biel versus $1,775 in Athens – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,826 in Biel, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Biel. 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, Biel 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 59% less than in Biel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.