Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $1,001 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,001

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,001 in East London versus $1,775 in Athens.

East London $1,001
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,632 in East London versus $2,721 in Athens.

East London $1,632
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,262 in East London versus $3,666 in Athens.

East London $2,262
Athens $3,666

Living in East London costs roughly 44% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: East London is 26% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.27 R 153

$16.69 €14.84

-44.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.10 R 628

$67.8 €60.3

-43.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.4

$11.14 €9.91

-48.56%

Cappuccino

$2.07 R 34.16

$4.03 €3.58

-48.64%

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

$1.02 R 16.79

$2.77 €2.46

-63.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.92

$0.55 €0.49

41.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 R 44.62

$5.74 €5.10

-52.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 R 52.1

$5.45 €4.85

-42.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.32

$1.82 €1.62

-35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 R 15.51

$1.38 €1.23

-31.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.99

$2.80 €2.49

-45.71%

Eggs

$2.29 R 37.81

$4.83 €4.30

-52.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 R 144

$15.05 €13.39

-42.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.36 R 88.3

$10.63 €9.45

-49.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 R 109

$18.43 €16.39

-63.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.49

$2.20 €1.96

-29.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.62

$1.90 €1.69

-18.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.68

$1.37 €1.22

22.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.83

$2.10 €1.87

-28.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.53

$1.08 €0.96

54.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.45

$1.12 €1.00

26.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.49

$1.12 €1.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.19

$0.88 €0.79

4.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 R 47.01

$5.48 €4.88

-47.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 R 80.7

$10.13 €9.01

-51.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.79

$2.13 €1.89

-46.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.04

$2.25 €2.00

-59.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.40

$1.36 €1.21

13.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.97 R 774

$29.89 €26.59

57.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R 19.60

$4.45 €3.96

-73.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 R 8.11

$1.02 €0.90

-51.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 R 141

$16.92 €15.05

-49.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.30

$2.25 €2.00

-40.00%

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

$35.4K R 582.9K

$28.0K €24.9K

26.22%

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

$30.1K R 495.4K

$28.2K €25.1K

6.52%

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

$121 R 1,994

$205 €182

-40.85%

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

$32.82 R 541

$26.65 €23.71

23.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.33 R 730

$30.38 €27.02

45.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.22 R 646

$54.5 €48.47

-28.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 R 79.3

$10.42 €9.27

-53.84%

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

$176 R 2,896

$569 €506

-69.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,405 R 89.1K

$12.6K €11.2K

-57.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 R 944

$88.7 €78.9

-35.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.61 R 554

$40.46 €35.99

-16.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R 1,214

$105 €93.3

-29.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 R 1,568

$121 €108

-21.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 R 4,760

$741 €659

-61.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 R 4,219

$655 €582

-60.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 R 9,017

$1,300 €1,156

-57.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 R 10.8K

$1,148 €1,021

-42.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,657 R 27.3K

$1,242 €1,105

33.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

145.54%

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

Last update for East London: 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

East London

$256 25.6%

Athens

$655 36.9% 156% $398

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$198 19.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 32% $63

Groceries & Markets

East London

$181 18.1%

Athens

$310 17.5% 71.2% $129

Eating Out

East London

$143 14.3%

Athens

$268 15.1% 87.1% $125

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$117 11.7%

Athens

$160 9% 36.8% $43

Getting Around

East London

$57 5.7%

Athens

$45 2.5% 21% $12

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 4.9%

Athens

$75 4.2% 54.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $289 in East London and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

East London pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38.00 in East London vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $310 per month, with East London cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

10:35 10:35 AM

1 h ahead of East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

East London Athens 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

East London
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

East London vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

East London wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making East London the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 33% higher in East London, 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: $289 in East London versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in East London – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,001 per month in East London versus $1,775 in Athens – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,001 in East London versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in East London but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes East London the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but East London delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,001 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes East London hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, East London 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 East London gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.