Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hasselt and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,005 in Hasselt, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Hasselt
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Hasselt Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Hasselt

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,005

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,005 in Hasselt versus $1,775 in Athens.

Hasselt $2,005
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,025 in Hasselt versus $2,721 in Athens.

Hasselt $3,025
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,045 in Hasselt versus $3,666 in Athens.

Hasselt $4,045
Athens $3,666

Living in Hasselt is roughly 13% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hasselt 48% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.57 €20.17

$16.69 €14.91

35.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.8

$67.8 €60.6

49.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €12.05

$11.14 €9.95

21.01%

Cappuccino

$3.67 €3.28

$4.03 €3.60

-8.93%

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

$3.67 €3.28

$2.77 €2.47

32.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 €2.86

$0.55 €0.49

481.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 €4.58

$5.74 €5.13

-10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 €5.00

$5.45 €4.87

2.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.82 €1.63

-28.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.38 €1.23

82.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.80 €2.50

-20.36%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.96

$4.83 €4.32

-31.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.93 €7.09

$15.05 €13.45

-47.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.52 €10.30

$10.63 €9.50

8.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.13 €20.67

$18.43 €16.46

25.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.20 €1.97

-8.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.90 €1.69

-8.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$1.37 €1.22

88.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.10 €1.88

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.08 €0.97

65.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.12 €1.01

16.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.12 €1.00

-5.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.88 €0.79

19.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.02 €11.64

$5.48 €4.90

137.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.04 €8.08

$10.13 €9.05

-10.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.13 €1.90

-24.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.25 €2.01

-11.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$1.36 €1.22

130.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.49 €29.03

$29.89 €26.71

8.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 €5.08

$4.45 €3.98

27.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.02 €0.91

160.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.47

$16.92 €15.12

114.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.25 €2.01

-11.56%

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

$35.6K €31.8K

$28.0K €25.0K

26.96%

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

$33.9K €30.3K

$28.2K €25.2K

20.07%

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

$205 €183

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

$19.80 €17.69

$26.65 €23.82

-25.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.52 €41.57

$30.38 €27.15

53.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 €24.44

$54.5 €48.69

-49.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.17 €8.20

$25.88 €23.12

-64.57%

Cinema Ticket

$15.14 €13.53

$10.42 €9.31

45.30%

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

$1,591 €1,421

$569 €509

179.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K €29.4K

$12.6K €11.2K

161.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.3

$88.7 €79.2

24.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 €46.50

$40.46 €36.16

28.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$105 €93.8

-1.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$121 €108

9.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 €837

$741 €662

26.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 €709

$655 €585

21.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 €1,290

$1,300 €1,161

11.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,066

$1,148 €1,026

3.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,517 €4,036

$4,014 €3,587

12.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,384 €2,131

$3,460 €3,092

-31.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,034 €2,711

$1,242 €1,110

144.20%

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 Hasselt: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hasselt

$794 39.6%

Athens

$655 36.9% 17.5% $139

Eating Out

Hasselt

$329 16.4%

Athens

$268 15.1% 18.6% $61

Groceries & Markets

Hasselt

$310 15.5%

Athens

$310 17.5% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hasselt

$271 13.5%

Athens

$262 14.7% 3.4% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Hasselt

$179 8.9%

Athens

$160 9% 10.8% $19

Getting Around

Hasselt

$64 3.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 29.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Hasselt

$58 2.9%

Athens

$75 4.2% 30.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $936 in Hasselt and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hasselt pays 144% 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: $102 in Hasselt vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $310, with Hasselt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Hasselt

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

1 h ahead of Hasselt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,694

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

Hasselt Athens 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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

Hasselt vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Hasselt. 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 144% higher in Hasselt, 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: $936 in Hasselt 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 $102 in Hasselt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,005 per month in Hasselt versus $1,775 in Athens – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,005 in Hasselt, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Hasselt. 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, Hasselt 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 13% less than in Hasselt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.