Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cottbus and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Cottbus: $1,498 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Cottbus
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Cottbus Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Cottbus

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,498

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,498 in Cottbus versus $1,759 in Athens.

Cottbus $1,498
Athens $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,358 in Cottbus versus $2,696 in Athens.

Cottbus $2,358
Athens $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,219 in Cottbus versus $3,632 in Athens.

Cottbus $3,219
Athens $3,632

Living in Cottbus costs roughly 15% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cottbus 10% above, Athens 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.93

$17.05 €15.31

-2.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.5

$65.8 €59.1

20.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 €9.74

$10.96 €9.84

-1.09%

Cappuccino

$2.45 €2.21

$4.10 €3.69

-40.24%

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

$2.53 €2.28

$2.83 €2.54

-10.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 €2.79

$0.59 €0.53

425.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 €2.49

$5.62 €5.05

-50.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.96

$5.67 €5.09

-41.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.90 €1.70

-34.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.85

$1.46 €1.31

40.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 €1.23

$2.71 €2.43

-49.82%

Eggs

$3.43 €3.08

$5.04 €4.53

-31.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.40 €12.03

$15.08 €13.54

-11.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 €9.83

$10.28 €9.23

6.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.09 €17.15

$19.40 €17.42

-1.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.12 €1.91

41.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.91 €1.71

4.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.41 €1.26

54.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 €3.27

$2.13 €1.91

70.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.04 €0.94

30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$1.13 €1.02

8.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.13 €1.01

29.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.81 €0.73

17.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.36 €8.41

$5.52 €4.96

69.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.14

$9.99 €8.97

-42.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$2.04 €1.83

-45.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.28 €2.05

-30.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.00 €2.70

$1.31 €1.18

129.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.88 €44.81

$30.67 €27.55

62.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.55

$4.37 €3.93

-9.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 €1.74

$1.03 €0.92

87.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.31 €23.63

$17.05 €15.32

54.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.73

$2.34 €2.10

-17.95%

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

$32.5K €29.2K

$28.3K €25.4K

15.09%

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

$38.4K €34.5K

$26.8K €24.0K

43.42%

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

$170 €153

$200 €180

-14.72%

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

$15.69 €14.09

$25.17 €22.61

-37.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.77 €39.32

$29.65 €26.64

47.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 €35.69

$50.4 €45.31

-21.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.85 €15.14

$25.94 €23.30

-35.04%

Cinema Ticket

$13.63 €12.24

$10.52 €9.45

29.56%

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

$274 €246

$576 €518

-52.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K €11.4K

$12.9K €11.6K

-2.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 €49.24

$89.7 €80.6

-38.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.43 €25.54

$39.57 €35.55

-28.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 €65.1

$105 €94.7

-31.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 €65.2

$124 €111

-41.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 €545

$740 €665

-18.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 €434

$643 €577

-24.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,045

$1,305 €1,172

-10.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$838 €753

$1,121 €1,007

-25.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,526 €2,269

$4,011 €3,603

-37.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,988 €1,786

$3,284 €2,950

-39.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,642 €1,475

$1,224 €1,099

34.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

4.48

-28.57%

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

Last update for Cottbus: October 25, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cottbus

$483 32.2%

Athens

$643 36.5% 33.1% $160

Groceries & Markets

Cottbus

$302 20.2%

Athens

$312 17.7% 3.3% $10

Eating Out

Cottbus

$238 15.9%

Athens

$272 15.4% 14.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cottbus

$230 15.4%

Athens

$255 14.5% 10.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Cottbus

$103 6.9%

Athens

$161 9.2% 57% $59

Getting Around

Cottbus

$76 5%

Athens

$45 2.6% 39.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cottbus

$67 4.5%

Athens

$71 4.1% 6.7% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $606 in Cottbus and $740 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cottbus pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $80 in Cottbus vs $66 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $312, with Cottbus cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Cottbus

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

01:45 1:45 AM

1 h ahead of Cottbus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,036

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cottbus Athens 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cottbus
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

Cottbus vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cottbus wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cottbus the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Cottbus, 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: $606 in Cottbus versus $740 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 versus $80 in Cottbus. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,498 per month in Cottbus versus $1,759 in Athens – Cottbus is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cottbus and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.