Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,192 in Gent, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Gent
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Gent Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,192

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,192 in Gent versus $1,806 in Athens.

Gent $2,192
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,416 in Gent versus $2,731 in Athens.

Gent $3,416
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,640 in Gent versus $3,656 in Athens.

Gent $4,640
Athens $3,656

Living in Gent is roughly 21% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gent 64% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.23 €19.84

$16.66 €14.87

33.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 €102

$66.2 €59.1

72.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.74 €14.05

$11.06 €9.87

42.31%

Cappuccino

$4.26 €3.80

$4.14 €3.69

2.90%

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

$3.34 €2.98

$2.80 €2.50

19.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.66

$0.57 €0.51

422.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.97

$5.64 €5.03

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 €5.02

$5.46 €4.87

3.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.96 €1.75

-39.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 €2.51

$1.41 €1.26

99.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.83 €2.53

-22.97%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.56

$5.04 €4.50

-21.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.44 €16.46

$15.35 €13.70

20.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.50 €11.16

$10.34 €9.23

20.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.94 €17.79

$18.97 €16.93

5.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.17 €1.93

26.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.91 €1.70

27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.38 €1.23

89.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.61

$2.20 €1.96

32.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.10 €0.98

94.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.13 €1.00

72.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.10 €0.99

21.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.83 €0.74

32.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.90 €11.51

$5.60 €4.99

130.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.79 €7.85

$10.19 €9.09

-13.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.18 €1.95

-8.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.45 €2.19

-2.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 €3.03

$1.38 €1.23

146.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.5 €52.2

$30.87 €27.55

89.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 €10.21

$4.37 €3.90

161.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 €2.66

$1.04 €0.93

186.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.6 €46.02

$17.11 €15.27

201.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.31 €2.07

-12.99%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$28.0K €25.0K

24.60%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$28.0K €25.0K

19.67%

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

$226 €202

$210 €187

7.71%

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

$21.13 €18.85

$26.70 €23.83

-20.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.32 €42.23

$30.13 €26.89

57.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.93 €31.17

$54.6 €48.72

-36.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.18 €11.76

$26.03 €23.23

-49.37%

Cinema Ticket

$16.05 €14.32

$10.78 €9.62

48.89%

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

$563 €503

$575 €513

-2.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K €18.9K

$13.1K €11.7K

61.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.2

$93.2 €83.1

14.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.92 €42.77

$40.68 €36.30

17.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.7

$104 €92.9

4.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €135

$128 €115

18.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 €1,065

$756 €674

57.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 €786

$652 €582

34.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,807 €1,613

$1,294 €1,154

39.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 €1,390

$1,163 €1,038

33.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,336 €4,761

$4,008 €3,577

33.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,030 €2,704

$3,452 €3,081

-12.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,564 €3,180

$1,243 €1,110

186.64%

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 Gent: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gent

$880 39.6%

Athens

$652 36.5% 25.9% $228

Groceries & Markets

Gent

$357 16%

Athens

$315 17.6% 11.8% $42

Eating Out

Gent

$341 15.3%

Athens

$269 15% 21.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gent

$294 13.2%

Athens

$267 14.9% 9.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Gent

$187 8.4%

Athens

$165 9.2% 11.7% $22

Getting Around

Gent

$98 4.4%

Athens

$46 2.6% 53.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Gent

$67 3%

Athens

$76 4.3% 13.6% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,194 in Gent and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gent pays 187% 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: $114 in Gent vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Gent

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h ahead of Gent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,000

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gent Athens 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gent
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

Gent vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Gent. 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 187% higher in Gent, 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: $1,194 in Gent versus $756 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 $66.0 versus $114 in Gent. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,192 per month in Gent versus $1,806 in Athens – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,192 in Gent, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Gent. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gent 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 21% less than in Gent. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.