Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cortona and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Cortona and in Athens: $1,782 and $1,775 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Cortona
Learn more

Cortona Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Cortona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,782

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,782 in Cortona versus $1,775 in Athens.

Cortona $1,782
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,699 in Cortona versus $2,721 in Athens.

Cortona $2,699
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,616 in Cortona versus $3,666 in Athens.

Cortona $3,616
Athens $3,666

Monthly costs are close between Cortona and Athens; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cortona 32% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 €17.76

$16.69 €14.84

19.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 €71.4

$67.8 €60.3

18.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.47 €10.21

$11.14 €9.91

2.96%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$4.03 €3.58

-50.62%

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

$3.37 €3.00

$2.77 €2.46

21.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.55 €0.49

156.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.88

$5.74 €5.10

15.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.89

$5.45 €4.85

-19.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.82 €1.62

-6.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.38 €1.23

59.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 €2.77

$2.80 €2.49

11.07%

Eggs

$5.20 €4.62

$4.83 €4.30

7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.98 €24.89

$15.05 €13.39

85.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.13 €14.34

$10.63 €9.45

51.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.34 €21.65

$18.43 €16.39

32.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 €2.64

$2.20 €1.96

35.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.90 €1.69

13.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 €2.93

$1.37 €1.22

140.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 €2.89

$2.10 €1.87

54.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$1.08 €0.96

188.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.12 €1.00

93.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.12 €1.00

67.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.88 €0.79

-5.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.66 €6.81

$5.48 €4.88

39.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.55 €7.61

$10.13 €9.01

-15.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.13 €1.89

21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 €3.62

$2.25 €2.00

80.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 €4.94

$4.45 €3.96

24.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.02 €0.90

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.50 €10.23

$16.92 €15.05

-32.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.25 €2.00

-7.11%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$28.0K €24.9K

30.07%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$28.2K €25.1K

25.05%

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

$339 €301

$205 €182

65.52%

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

$12.19 €10.84

$26.65 €23.71

-54.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.74 €38.02

$30.38 €27.02

40.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.43 €25.29

$54.5 €48.47

-47.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.22 €9.98

$25.88 €23.02

-56.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.59

$10.42 €9.27

3.45%

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

$634 €564

$569 €506

11.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,834 €7,858

$12.6K €11.2K

-29.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.7 €88.7

$88.7 €78.9

12.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.8 €67.4

$40.46 €35.99

87.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 €78.0

$105 €93.3

-16.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$194 €172

$121 €108

59.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$839 €746

$741 €659

13.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 €357

$655 €582

-38.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,487 €1,323

$1,300 €1,156

14.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 €546

$1,148 €1,021

-46.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,234 €1,987

$4,014 €3,570

-44.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,788 €2,480

$3,460 €3,078

-19.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,170 €2,820

$1,242 €1,105

155.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

4.48

-17.41%

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

Last update for Cortona: October 10, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cortona

$436 24.5%

Athens

$310 17.5% 28.9% $126

Accommodation & Living

Cortona

$401 22.5%

Athens

$655 36.9% 63.1% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cortona

$394 22.1%

Athens

$262 14.7% 33.5% $132

Eating Out

Cortona

$279 15.7%

Athens

$268 15.1% 3.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cortona

$206 11.5%

Athens

$160 9% 22.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Cortona

$50 2.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 50.7% $25

Getting Around

Cortona

$17 * 0.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 170% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $839 in Cortona and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cortona pays 155% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80.0 in Cortona vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cortona

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

04:11 4:11 AM

1 h ahead of Cortona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,450

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cortona Athens 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cortona
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

Cortona vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 155% higher in Cortona, 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: $839 in Cortona versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Cortona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $80.0 in Cortona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,782 in Cortona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Cortona. 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, Cortona 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.

It comes down to priorities – Athens wins on affordability, Cortona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.