Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,105 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in George versus $1,775 in Athens.

George $1,105
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in George versus $2,721 in Athens.

George $1,834
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in George versus $3,666 in Athens.

George $2,563
Athens $3,666

Living in George costs roughly 38% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: George is 18% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.87 R 179

$16.69 €14.84

-34.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.26 R 680

$67.8 €60.3

-39.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 R 79.3

$11.14 €9.91

-56.82%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R 34.66

$4.03 €3.58

-47.89%

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

$1.06 R 17.47

$2.77 €2.46

-61.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.63

$0.55 €0.49

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 R 44.76

$5.74 €5.10

-52.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 R 52.8

$5.45 €4.85

-41.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.55

$1.82 €1.62

-37.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$1.38 €1.23

-24.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.63

$2.80 €2.49

-48.93%

Eggs

$2.80 R 46.05

$4.83 €4.30

-42.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$15.05 €13.39

-44.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 R 89.8

$10.63 €9.45

-48.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 R 110

$18.43 €16.39

-63.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.49

$2.20 €1.96

-26.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.19

$1.90 €1.69

-22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.33

$1.37 €1.22

12.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.44

$2.10 €1.87

-17.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.89

$1.08 €0.96

50.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.41

$1.12 €1.00

26.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.53

$1.12 €1.00

11.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.99

$0.88 €0.79

10.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$5.48 €4.88

-41.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.72 R 77.8

$10.13 €9.01

-53.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.09

$2.13 €1.89

-42.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 28.48

$2.25 €2.00

-23.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.36 €1.21

13.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.77 R 457

$29.89 €26.59

-7.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.50

$4.45 €3.96

-86.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 R 7.67

$1.02 €0.90

-53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 138

$16.92 €15.05

-50.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R 20.03

$2.25 €2.00

-45.78%

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

$29.7K R 488.9K

$28.0K €24.9K

5.86%

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

$29.4K R 483.7K

$28.2K €25.1K

4.00%

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

$121 R 1,995

$205 €182

-40.83%

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

$17.44 R 287

$26.65 €23.71

-34.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.19 R 745

$30.38 €27.02

48.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 R 490

$54.5 €48.47

-45.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 R 175

$25.88 €23.02

-58.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 R 100

$10.42 €9.27

-41.65%

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

$137 R 2,263

$569 €506

-75.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,187 R 85.5K

$12.6K €11.2K

-58.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,177

$88.7 €78.9

-19.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 R 625

$40.46 €35.99

-6.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,845

$105 €93.3

6.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 R 1,413

$121 €108

-29.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,956

$741 €659

-43.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 R 6,010

$655 €582

-44.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 R 12.7K

$1,300 €1,156

-40.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 R 15.3K

$1,148 €1,021

-19.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$871 R 14.4K

$4,014 €3,570

-78.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$3,460 €3,078

-81.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,364 R 22.5K

$1,242 €1,105

9.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

4.48

143.75%

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

Last update for George: 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

George

$365 33%

Athens

$655 36.9% 79.4% $290

Groceries & Markets

George

$186 16.8%

Athens

$310 17.5% 66.9% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George

$184 16.6%

Athens

$262 14.7% 42.4% $78

Eating Out

George

$154 13.9%

Athens

$268 15.1% 74.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

George

$138 12.5%

Athens

$160 9% 15.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

George

$42 3.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 79.7% $33

Getting Around

George

$37 3.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 21.9% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $422 in George and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41.00 in George vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $310 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 George

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

1 h ahead of George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,580

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

George Athens 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

George
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

George vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making George the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 10% higher in George, 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: $422 in George versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,105 per month in George versus $1,775 in Athens – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,105 in George versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes George the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but George delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,105 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes George hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, George 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 George gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.