Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,552 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,552

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,552 in Brussels versus $1,806 in Athens.

Brussels $2,552
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,875 in Brussels versus $2,731 in Athens.

Brussels $3,875
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,197 in Brussels versus $3,656 in Athens.

Brussels $5,197
Athens $3,656

Living in Brussels is roughly 41% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 90% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.61 €20.16

$16.66 €14.85

35.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.4

$66.2 €59.0

37.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 €13.56

$11.06 €9.86

37.52%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.85

$4.14 €3.69

4.35%

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

$3.78 €3.37

$2.80 €2.50

35.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 €2.71

$0.57 €0.51

433.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.93

$5.64 €5.03

-1.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.11

$5.46 €4.86

4.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.96 €1.74

-33.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.41 €1.25

92.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.83 €2.53

-1.06%

Eggs

$5.33 €4.75

$5.04 €4.49

5.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.78 €15.86

$15.35 €13.68

15.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 €11.69

$10.34 €9.22

26.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.01 €19.62

$18.97 €16.92

16.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.17 €1.93

43.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.91 €1.70

24.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.38 €1.23

99.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 €3.78

$2.20 €1.96

92.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.10 €0.98

134.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.13 €1.00

97.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.10 €0.98

63.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.83 €0.74

53.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.68 €12.20

$5.60 €4.99

144.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.75 €8.69

$10.19 €9.08

-4.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.18 €1.95

22.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.72

$2.45 €2.18

24.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.38 €1.23

108.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.1 €56.2

$30.87 €27.52

104.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 €2.55

$4.37 €3.90

-34.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.04 €0.93

122.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 €36.05

$17.11 €15.26

136.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.31 €2.06

-6.93%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$28.0K €24.9K

25.42%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$28.0K €25.0K

18.37%

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

$285 €254

$210 €187

36.02%

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

$21.90 €19.52

$26.70 €23.80

-17.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.22

$30.13 €26.86

75.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.51 €29.88

$54.6 €48.68

-38.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.85 €24.83

$26.03 €23.21

6.99%

Cinema Ticket

$16.62 €14.82

$10.78 €9.61

54.17%

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

$1,590 €1,418

$575 €513

176.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K €33.1K

$13.1K €11.7K

183.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.6

$93.2 €83.1

11.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.15 €41.14

$40.68 €36.27

13.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.1

$104 €92.8

6.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €133

$128 €114

16.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,175

$756 €674

74.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 €1,039

$652 €582

78.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,442 €2,177

$1,294 €1,153

88.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 €1,766

$1,163 €1,037

70.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,082 €4,531

$4,008 €3,574

26.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,941 €3,514

$3,452 €3,078

14.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,280 €2,924

$1,243 €1,109

163.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

4.48

-17.19%

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

Last update for Brussels: 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

Brussels

$1.2K 44.8%

Athens

$652 36.5% 44% $513

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$393 15.1%

Athens

$315 17.6% 20% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$360 13.8%

Athens

$267 14.9% 26% $94

Eating Out

Brussels

$345 13.2%

Athens

$269 15% 22% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$185 7.1%

Athens

$165 9.2% 10.8% $20

Getting Around

Brussels

$89 3.4%

Athens

$46 2.6% 48.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$67 2.6%

Athens

$76 4.3% 14.1% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 164% 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: $91.0 in Brussels vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h ahead of Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

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

Brussels Athens 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Brussels vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Brussels. 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 164% higher in Brussels, 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: $1,318 in Brussels 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 $91.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,552 per month in Brussels versus $1,806 in Athens – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,552 in Brussels, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Brussels. 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, Brussels 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 41% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.