Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,039 in Diest, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,039

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,039 in Diest versus $1,775 in Athens.

Diest $2,039
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,023 in Diest versus $2,721 in Athens.

Diest $3,023
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,006 in Diest versus $3,666 in Athens.

Diest $4,006
Athens $3,666

Living in Diest is roughly 15% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Diest 51% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.41 €19.93

$16.69 €14.84

34.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.0

$67.8 €60.3

34.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 €10.58

$11.14 €9.91

6.73%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.19

$4.03 €3.58

-11.17%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$2.77 €2.46

7.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.32

$0.55 €0.49

372.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.41 €4.81

$5.74 €5.10

-5.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.99

$5.45 €4.85

-17.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.82 €1.62

-33.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.38 €1.23

94.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.80 €2.49

-19.64%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.30

$4.83 €4.30

-23.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$15.05 €13.39

17.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.77

$10.63 €9.45

13.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.17 €17.05

$18.43 €16.39

4.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.20 €1.96

27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.90 €1.69

20.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.37 €1.22

91.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$2.10 €1.87

39.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.08 €0.96

111.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.12 €1.00

73.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.12 €1.00

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.88 €0.79

13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.26 €10.01

$5.48 €4.88

105.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 €6.89

$10.13 €9.01

-23.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.13 €1.89

-4.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.25 €2.00

-20.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 €2.73

$1.36 €1.21

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.07 €5.40

$4.45 €3.96

36.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.02 €0.90

117.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.08 €23.20

$16.92 €15.05

54.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.25 €2.00

-13.33%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$28.0K €24.9K

27.74%

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

$34.0K €30.2K

$28.2K €25.1K

20.32%

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

$203 €180

$205 €182

-1.00%

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

$21.37 €19.01

$26.65 €23.71

-19.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 €46.56

$30.38 €27.02

72.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.70 €32.65

$54.5 €48.47

-32.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.59 €17.42

$25.88 €23.02

-24.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.51 €12.91

$10.42 €9.27

39.25%

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

$847 €754

$569 €506

48.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K €17.1K

$12.6K €11.2K

52.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.7

$88.7 €78.9

15.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.75 €42.47

$40.46 €35.99

18.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$105 €93.3

-2.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$121 €108

20.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 €806

$741 €659

22.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$828 €737

$655 €582

26.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,235

$1,300 €1,156

6.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 €1,054

$1,148 €1,021

3.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,230 €3,762

$4,014 €3,570

5.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,905 €2,584

$3,460 €3,078

-16.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,063 €1,835

$1,242 €1,105

66.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.48

-22.77%

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

Last update for Diest: 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

Diest

$828 40.6%

Athens

$655 36.9% 20.9% $173

Groceries & Markets

Diest

$345 16.9%

Athens

$310 17.5% 9.9% $34

Eating Out

Diest

$316 15.5%

Athens

$268 15.1% 15.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Diest

$276 13.6%

Athens

$262 14.7% 5.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Diest

$179 8.8%

Athens

$160 9% 10.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Diest

$66 3.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 14.6% $9.6

Getting Around

Diest

$29 * 1.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 52.4% $15

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 $907 in Diest and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Diest pays 66% 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 Diest vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Diest

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

1 h ahead of Diest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,516

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

Diest Athens 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Diest
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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

Diest vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Diest. 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 66% higher in Diest, 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: $907 in Diest versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $847 in Diest versus $569 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $91.0 in Diest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,039 in Diest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Diest. 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, Diest 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 15% less than in Diest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.