Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellensburg, WA and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $2,404 in Ellensburg, WA, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ellensburg, WA
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Ellensburg, WA Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Ellensburg, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,404

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,404 in Ellensburg, WA versus $1,759 in Athens.

Ellensburg, WA $2,404
Athens $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,555 in Ellensburg, WA versus $2,696 in Athens.

Ellensburg, WA $3,555
Athens $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,705 in Ellensburg, WA versus $3,632 in Athens.

Ellensburg, WA $4,705
Athens $3,632

Living in Ellensburg, WA is roughly 37% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ellensburg, WA 77% above, Athens 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$17.05 €15.31

-10.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 $75.2

$65.8 €59.1

14.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$10.96 €9.84

10.68%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.10 €3.69

22.93%

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

$1.54 $1.54

$2.83 €2.54

-45.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.59 €0.53

113.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$5.62 €5.05

-13.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$5.67 €5.09

7.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.90 €1.70

-48.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.46 €1.31

91.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.71 €2.43

73.80%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$5.04 €4.53

-16.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 $15.48

$15.08 €13.54

2.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$10.28 €9.23

-35.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 $13.53

$19.40 €17.42

-30.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.12 €1.91

116.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.91 €1.71

-25.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.41 €1.26

202.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.13 €1.91

85.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.04 €0.94

45.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.13 €1.02

96.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.13 €1.01

73.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.81 €0.73

135.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 $9.89

$5.52 €4.96

79.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 $13.99

$9.99 €8.97

40.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.04 €1.83

-8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.28 €2.05

114.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.31 €1.18

56.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 $57.6

$30.67 €27.55

87.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.37 €3.93

16.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.03 €0.92

70.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.42 $39.42

$17.05 €15.32

131.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.34 €2.10

-55.56%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$28.3K €25.4K

-2.40%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.8K €24.0K

1.95%

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

$149 $149

$200 €180

-25.36%

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

$39.60 $39.60

$25.17 €22.61

57.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$29.65 €26.64

140.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.90 $40.90

$50.4 €45.31

-18.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 $15.93

$10.52 €9.45

51.43%

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

$1,356 $1,356

$576 €518

135.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K $21.6K

$12.9K €11.6K

66.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.48 $34.48

$89.7 €80.6

-61.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.61 $34.61

$39.57 €35.55

-12.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$105 €94.7

3.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.10 $40.10

$124 €111

-67.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 $1,614

$740 €665

118.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$643 €577

98.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 $2,509

$1,305 €1,172

92.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,172 $2,172

$1,121 €1,007

93.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,531 $4,531

$4,011 €3,603

12.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 $4,418

$3,284 €2,950

34.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,785 $1,785

$1,224 €1,099

45.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

4.48

45.09%

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

Last update for Ellensburg, WA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ellensburg, WA

$1.3K 53.1%

Athens

$643 36.5% 49.7% $634

Groceries & Markets

Ellensburg, WA

$349 14.5%

Athens

$312 17.7% 10.6% $37

Eating Out

Ellensburg, WA

$267 11.1%

Athens

$272 15.4% 1.9% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellensburg, WA

$260 10.8%

Athens

$255 14.5% 2.1% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Ellensburg, WA

$98 4.1%

Athens

$161 9.2% 64.1% $63

Getting Around

Ellensburg, WA

$80 3.3%

Athens

$45 2.6% 43% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Ellensburg, WA

$73 3%

Athens

$71 4.1% 1.8% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Ellensburg, WA and $740 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ellensburg, WA pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Ellensburg, WA vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $312 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellensburg, WA

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

09:58 9:58 AM

18:58 6:58 PM

9 h ahead of Ellensburg, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,666

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ellensburg, WA Athens 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ellensburg, WA
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

Ellensburg, WA vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Ellensburg, WA. 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 46% higher in Ellensburg, WA, 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: $1,614 in Ellensburg, WA 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 $75 in Ellensburg, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,404 per month in Ellensburg, WA versus $1,759 in Athens – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,759 in Athens versus $2,404 in Ellensburg, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Ellensburg, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Ellensburg, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.