Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heerlen and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,263 in Heerlen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Heerlen
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Heerlen Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Heerlen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,263

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,263 in Heerlen versus $1,775 in Athens.

Heerlen $2,263
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Heerlen versus $2,721 in Athens.

Heerlen $3,443
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,623 in Heerlen versus $3,666 in Athens.

Heerlen $4,623
Athens $3,666

Living in Heerlen is roughly 27% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Heerlen 68% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.62 €21.01

$16.69 €14.84

41.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.7 €86.0

$67.8 €60.3

42.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.89 €16.81

$11.14 €9.91

69.57%

Cappuccino

$3.89 €3.46

$4.03 €3.58

-3.47%

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

$3.30 €2.94

$2.77 €2.46

19.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$0.55 €0.49

310.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 €5.55

$5.74 €5.10

8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 €4.97

$5.45 €4.85

2.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.82 €1.62

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.38 €1.23

71.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.80 €2.49

-7.50%

Eggs

$4.32 €3.84

$4.83 €4.30

-10.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 €10.25

$15.05 €13.39

-23.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.77 €12.25

$10.63 €9.45

29.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.78 €15.81

$18.43 €16.39

-3.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.20 €1.96

8.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.90 €1.69

25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.37 €1.22

53.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$2.10 €1.87

105.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.08 €0.96

70.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.12 €1.00

90.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.12 €1.00

16.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.88 €0.79

-10.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.17 €12.61

$5.48 €4.88

158.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 €6.34

$10.13 €9.01

-29.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.13 €1.89

-33.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.25 €2.00

17.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 €3.29

$1.36 €1.21

172.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.9 €52.4

$29.89 €26.59

97.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 €5.53

$4.45 €3.96

39.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.02 €0.90

60.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.14 €19.70

$16.92 €15.05

30.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 €2.10

$2.25 €2.00

5.33%

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

$28.5K €25.3K

$28.0K €24.9K

1.57%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$28.2K €25.1K

25.89%

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

$190 €169

$205 €182

-7.10%

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

$26.76 €23.81

$26.65 €23.71

0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 €49.05

$30.38 €27.02

81.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.36 €31.46

$54.5 €48.47

-35.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.49 €24.45

$25.88 €23.02

6.22%

Cinema Ticket

$13.48 €11.99

$10.42 €9.27

29.37%

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

$680 €605

$569 €506

19.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,341 €4,751

$12.6K €11.2K

-57.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.8 €88.8

$88.7 €78.9

12.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 €44.19

$40.46 €35.99

22.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.4

$105 €93.3

-4.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$187 €167

$121 €108

54.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$741 €659

49.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$958 €852

$655 €582

46.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 €1,717

$1,300 €1,156

48.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 €1,396

$1,148 €1,021

36.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,941 €3,506

$4,014 €3,570

-1.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,828 €2,515

$3,460 €3,078

-18.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,883 €2,564

$1,242 €1,105

132.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.35

4.48

-2.90%

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

Last update for Heerlen: 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

Heerlen

$958 42.3%

Athens

$655 36.9% 31.7% $303

Eating Out

Heerlen

$357 15.8%

Athens

$268 15.1% 24.9% $89

Groceries & Markets

Heerlen

$329 14.5%

Athens

$310 17.5% 5.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heerlen

$272 12%

Athens

$262 14.7% 3.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Heerlen

$197 8.7%

Athens

$160 9% 18.8% $37

Getting Around

Heerlen

$88 3.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 49.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Heerlen

$62 2.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 20.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,106 in Heerlen and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Heerlen pays 132% 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: $97.0 in Heerlen vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Heerlen

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

1 h ahead of Heerlen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,086

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Heerlen vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Heerlen. 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 132% higher in Heerlen, 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: $1,106 in Heerlen 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 $97.0 in Heerlen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,263 per month in Heerlen versus $1,775 in Athens – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,263 in Heerlen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Heerlen. 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, Heerlen 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 27% less than in Heerlen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.