Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brugge and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,161 in Brugge, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Brugge
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Brugge Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Brugge

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,161

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,161 in Brugge versus $1,806 in Athens.

Brugge $2,161
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,114 in Brugge versus $2,731 in Athens.

Brugge $3,114
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,067 in Brugge versus $3,656 in Athens.

Brugge $4,067
Athens $3,656

Living in Brugge is roughly 20% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brugge 61% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.81 €20.36

$16.66 €14.87

36.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 €71.1

$66.2 €59.1

20.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.06

$11.06 €9.87

1.99%

Cappuccino

$4.43 €3.95

$4.14 €3.69

7.00%

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

$2.95 €2.63

$2.80 €2.50

5.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.61

$0.57 €0.51

414.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.85

$5.64 €5.03

-3.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 €4.10

$5.46 €4.87

-15.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.96 €1.75

-38.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.41 €1.26

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.83 €2.53

-28.62%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.39

$5.04 €4.50

-24.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 €10.22

$15.35 €13.70

-25.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 €10.85

$10.34 €9.23

17.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.33 €17.25

$18.97 €16.93

1.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.17 €1.93

23.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.91 €1.70

10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.38 €1.23

59.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.20 €1.96

2.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.10 €0.98

106.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.13 €1.00

-13.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.10 €0.99

39.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.83 €0.74

14.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.02 €11.62

$5.60 €4.99

132.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.57

$10.19 €9.09

-27.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.18 €1.95

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.45 €2.19

-18.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 €2.89

$1.38 €1.23

134.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 €49.99

$30.87 €27.55

81.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 €2.99

$4.37 €3.90

-23.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 €2.26

$1.04 €0.93

143.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.12 €22.42

$17.11 €15.27

46.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.31 €2.07

-14.72%

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

$34.9K €31.2K

$28.0K €25.0K

24.77%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$28.0K €25.0K

22.42%

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

$214 €191

$210 €187

2.21%

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

$18.04 €16.10

$26.70 €23.83

-32.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.30

$30.13 €26.89

75.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 €37.54

$54.6 €48.72

-22.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.66 €12.19

$26.03 €23.23

-47.52%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 €13.27

$10.78 €9.62

37.94%

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

$606 €541

$575 €513

5.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,952 €4,419

$13.1K €11.7K

-62.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €93.0

$93.2 €83.1

11.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 €53.4

$40.68 €36.30

47.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.6

$104 €92.9

-14.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 €227

$128 €115

97.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 €838

$756 €674

24.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 €741

$652 €582

27.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 €1,181

$1,294 €1,154

2.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 €1,061

$1,163 €1,038

2.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,666 €2,379

$4,008 €3,577

-33.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,502 €2,233

$3,452 €3,081

-27.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,551 €2,276

$1,243 €1,110

105.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

4.48

-21.43%

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

Last update for Brugge: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brugge

$831 38.9%

Athens

$652 36.5% 21.5% $178

Eating Out

Brugge

$329 15.4%

Athens

$269 15% 18.4% $61

Groceries & Markets

Brugge

$304 14.2%

Athens

$315 17.6% 3.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brugge

$285 13.4%

Athens

$267 14.9% 6.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Brugge

$228 10.7%

Athens

$165 9.2% 27.8% $63

Getting Around

Brugge

$85 4%

Athens

$46 2.6% 45.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Brugge

$72 3.4%

Athens

$76 4.3% 6.1% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $939 in Brugge and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brugge pays 105% 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: $80.0 in Brugge vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $315, with Brugge cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brugge

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

1 h ahead of Brugge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,639

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

Brugge Athens 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Brugge
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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

Brugge vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Brugge. 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 105% higher in Brugge, 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: $939 in Brugge 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 $80.0 in Brugge. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,161 per month in Brugge versus $1,806 in Athens – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,161 in Brugge, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Brugge. 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, Brugge 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 20% less than in Brugge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.