Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haarlem and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $3,171 in Haarlem, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,171

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,171 in Haarlem versus $1,806 in Athens.

Haarlem $3,171
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,482 in Haarlem versus $2,731 in Athens.

Haarlem $4,482
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,792 in Haarlem versus $3,656 in Athens.

Haarlem $5,792
Athens $3,656

Living in Haarlem is roughly 76% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Haarlem 137% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.72 €25.63

$16.66 €14.87

72.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 €88.8

$66.2 €59.1

50.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.15

$11.06 €9.87

23.15%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.85

$4.14 €3.69

4.11%

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

$4.05 €3.61

$2.80 €2.50

44.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.93

$0.57 €0.51

475.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 €7.20

$5.64 €5.03

43.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 €5.15

$5.46 €4.87

5.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.96 €1.75

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.41 €1.26

95.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.83 €2.53

-7.07%

Eggs

$4.92 €4.39

$5.04 €4.50

-2.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 €12.14

$15.35 €13.70

-11.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.01 €11.61

$10.34 €9.23

25.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.70 €19.37

$18.97 €16.93

14.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.58

$2.17 €1.93

33.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.91 €1.70

32.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.38 €1.23

32.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 €4.59

$2.20 €1.96

134.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.10 €0.98

66.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.13 €1.00

97.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.10 €0.99

11.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.83 €0.74

20.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.77 €12.29

$5.60 €4.99

145.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.93

$10.19 €9.09

-23.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.18 €1.95

-28.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.45 €2.19

1.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.38 €1.23

109.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.8 €72.1

$30.87 €27.55

161.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.47 €5.78

$4.37 €3.90

48.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.04 €0.93

144.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.21 €23.39

$17.11 €15.27

53.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.31 €2.07

6.49%

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

$40.9K €36.5K

$28.0K €25.0K

46.22%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$28.0K €25.0K

40.47%

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

$251 €224

$210 €187

19.89%

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

$23.91 €21.34

$26.70 €23.83

-10.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 €53.3

$30.13 €26.89

98.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €51.2

$54.6 €48.72

5.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.49 €25.42

$26.03 €23.23

9.45%

Cinema Ticket

$16.36 €14.60

$10.78 €9.62

51.76%

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

$2,638 €2,354

$575 €513

358.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,600 €5,890

$13.1K €11.7K

-49.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 €75.9

$93.2 €83.1

-8.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 €55.5

$40.68 €36.30

53.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 €86.7

$104 €92.9

-6.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$128 €115

14.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 €1,767

$756 €674

161.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 €1,495

$652 €582

156.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,884 €2,573

$1,294 €1,154

122.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,356 €2,103

$1,163 €1,038

102.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,735 €6,902

$4,008 €3,577

92.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,735 €5,118

$3,452 €3,081

66.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,202 €3,749

$1,243 €1,110

237.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.48

-15.18%

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

Last update for Haarlem: 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

Haarlem

$1.7K 53.1%

Athens

$652 36.5% 61% $1K

Eating Out

Haarlem

$404 12.8%

Athens

$269 15% 33.4% $135

Groceries & Markets

Haarlem

$361 11.5%

Athens

$315 17.6% 12.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haarlem

$335 10.6%

Athens

$267 14.9% 20.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Haarlem

$176 5.6%

Athens

$165 9.2% 6.5% $11

Getting Around

Haarlem

$112 3.5%

Athens

$46 2.6% 58.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Haarlem

$90 2.9%

Athens

$76 4.3% 15.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,980 in Haarlem and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Haarlem pays 238% 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: $99.0 in Haarlem vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

1 h ahead of Haarlem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,396

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

Haarlem Athens 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Haarlem vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in Haarlem. 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 238% higher in Haarlem, 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: $1,980 in Haarlem 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 $99.0 in Haarlem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,171 per month in Haarlem versus $1,806 in Athens – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $3,171 in Haarlem, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Haarlem. 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, Haarlem 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 76% less than in Haarlem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.