Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Genk and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Genk and in Athens: $1,812 and $1,775 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Genk
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Genk Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Genk

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,812

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,812 in Genk versus $1,775 in Athens.

Genk $1,812
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,755 in Genk versus $2,721 in Athens.

Genk $2,755
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,698 in Genk versus $3,666 in Athens.

Genk $3,698
Athens $3,666

Living in Genk is roughly 2% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Genk 34% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.46 €19.98

$16.69 €14.84

34.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 €78.5

$67.8 €60.3

30.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.46 €11.97

$11.14 €9.91

20.83%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.65

$4.03 €3.58

1.74%

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

$2.52 €2.24

$2.77 €2.46

-9.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.55 €0.49

296.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 €4.02

$5.74 €5.10

-21.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.56

$5.45 €4.85

-26.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.82 €1.62

-48.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.38 €1.23

102.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.80 €2.49

-20.00%

Eggs

$3.73 €3.32

$4.83 €4.30

-22.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 €7.93

$15.05 €13.39

-40.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.31 €6.50

$10.63 €9.45

-31.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.22 €9.98

$18.43 €16.39

-39.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$2.20 €1.96

10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.90 €1.69

23.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.37 €1.22

90.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$2.10 €1.87

37.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.08 €0.96

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.12 €1.00

66.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.12 €1.00

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.88 €0.79

15.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.92 €11.49

$5.48 €4.88

135.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.11 €6.32

$10.13 €9.01

-29.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.13 €1.89

-20.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.25 €2.00

-51.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 €2.90

$1.36 €1.21

140.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 €49.48

$29.89 €26.59

86.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.70 €5.07

$4.45 €3.96

28.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.02 €0.90

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.50 €22.68

$16.92 €15.05

50.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.25 €2.00

-15.56%

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

$21.9K €19.5K

$28.0K €24.9K

-21.90%

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

$27.7K €24.7K

$28.2K €25.1K

-1.71%

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

$167 €148

$205 €182

-18.54%

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

$20.09 €17.87

$26.65 €23.71

-24.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.01 €36.48

$30.38 €27.02

34.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.87 €33.68

$54.5 €48.47

-30.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.34

$25.88 €23.02

-24.69%

Cinema Ticket

$14.91 €13.26

$10.42 €9.27

43.09%

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

$278 €248

$569 €506

-51.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.1K €29.4K

$12.6K €11.2K

162.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €97.8

$88.7 €78.9

24.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.74 €41.57

$40.46 €35.99

15.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 €68.4

$105 €93.3

-26.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.8

$121 €108

-13.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 €842

$741 €659

27.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$695 €618

$655 €582

6.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 €1,139

$1,300 €1,156

-1.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 €951

$1,148 €1,021

-6.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,137 €3,680

$4,014 €3,570

3.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,877 €2,559

$3,460 €3,078

-16.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,276 €2,024

$1,242 €1,105

83.17%

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 Genk: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Genk

$695 38.3%

Athens

$655 36.9% 5.8% $40

Eating Out

Genk

$319 17.6%

Athens

$268 15.1% 15.9% $51

Groceries & Markets

Genk

$263 14.5%

Athens

$310 17.5% 17.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Genk

$228 12.6%

Athens

$262 14.7% 14.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Genk

$152 8.4%

Athens

$160 9% 5.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Genk

$88 4.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 49% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Genk

$68 3.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 11.3% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $947 in Genk and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Genk pays 83% 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: $88.0 in Genk vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $263 vs $310, with Genk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Genk

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

1 h ahead of Genk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,321

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

Genk Athens 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Genk
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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

Genk vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Genk. 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 83% higher in Genk, 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: $947 in Genk versus $741 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 $68.0 versus $88.0 in Genk. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,812 per month in Genk versus $1,775 in Athens – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,812 in Genk, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Genk. 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, Genk 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 2% less than in Genk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.