Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caen and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Caen: $1,669 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Caen
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Caen Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Caen

🇫🇷 France

$1,669

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,669 in Caen versus $1,775 in Athens.

Caen $1,669
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,558 in Caen versus $2,721 in Athens.

Caen $2,558
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,447 in Caen versus $3,666 in Athens.

Caen $3,447
Athens $3,666

Living in Caen costs roughly 6% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Caen 24% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.49 €14.67

$16.69 €14.84

-1.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 €49.04

$67.8 €60.3

-18.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 €11.72

$11.14 €9.91

18.22%

Cappuccino

$2.82 €2.51

$4.03 €3.58

-30.02%

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

$3.10 €2.76

$2.77 €2.46

11.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$0.55 €0.49

289.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.56 €7.61

$5.74 €5.10

49.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$5.45 €4.85

5.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.82 €1.62

-27.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.38 €1.23

28.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.80 €2.49

-30.71%

Eggs

$3.75 €3.33

$4.83 €4.30

-22.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 €8.93

$15.05 €13.39

-33.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 €10.22

$10.63 €9.45

8.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.98 €14.21

$18.43 €16.39

-13.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 €2.64

$2.20 €1.96

35.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$1.90 €1.69

62.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.37 €1.22

5.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 €3.78

$2.10 €1.87

102.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.08 €0.96

64.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.12 €1.00

74.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.12 €1.00

45.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.13 €0.11

$0.88 €0.79

-85.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.58 €11.19

$5.48 €4.88

129.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.13 €9.01

-44.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.13 €1.89

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$2.25 €2.00

-29.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.36 €1.21

28.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.77 €43.38

$29.89 €26.59

63.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 €2.04

$4.45 €3.96

-48.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.02 €0.90

8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 €29.23

$16.92 €15.05

94.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.25 €2.00

-4.44%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$28.0K €24.9K

23.37%

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

$32.1K €28.6K

$28.2K €25.1K

13.85%

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

$138 €123

$205 €182

-32.60%

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

$32.99 €29.34

$26.65 €23.71

23.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.71 €28.20

$30.38 €27.02

4.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.67 €29.06

$54.5 €48.47

-40.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.06 €19.62

$25.88 €23.02

-14.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 €7.98

$10.42 €9.27

-13.82%

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

$903 €803

$569 €506

58.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.5

$88.7 €78.9

21.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.27 €34.04

$40.46 €35.99

-5.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.3

$105 €93.3

-3.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €132

$121 €108

22.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 €684

$741 €659

3.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 €539

$655 €582

-7.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 €1,335

$1,300 €1,156

15.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 €926

$1,148 €1,021

-9.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,428 €3,939

$4,014 €3,570

10.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,484 €2,210

$3,460 €3,078

-28.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,373 €2,111

$1,242 €1,105

91.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

4.48

-15.40%

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

Last update for Caen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caen

$606 36.3%

Athens

$655 36.9% 8.1% $49

Groceries & Markets

Caen

$289 17.3%

Athens

$310 17.5% 7.6% $22

Eating Out

Caen

$281 16.8%

Athens

$268 15.1% 4.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caen

$203 12.1%

Athens

$262 14.7% 29.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Caen

$178 10.7%

Athens

$160 9% 10.1% $18

Getting Around

Caen

$64 3.8%

Athens

$45 2.5% 29.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Caen

$51 3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 48.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Caen and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caen pays 91% 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 Caen vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $310 per month, with Caen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Caen

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

18:31 6:31 PM

1 h ahead of Caen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,200

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

Caen Athens 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Caen
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

Caen vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caen wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Caen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 91% higher in Caen, 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: $769 in Caen versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Caen – 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 $1,669 per month in Caen versus $1,775 in Athens – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,669 in Caen versus $1,775 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Caen but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Caen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Caen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,669 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Caen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Caen 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 Caen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.