Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilford and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,414 in Ilford, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ilford
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Ilford Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Ilford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,414

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,414 in Ilford versus $1,775 in Athens.

Ilford $2,414
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,764 in Ilford versus $2,721 in Athens.

Ilford $3,764
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,115 in Ilford versus $3,666 in Athens.

Ilford $5,115
Athens $3,666

Living in Ilford is roughly 36% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ilford 79% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.97

$16.69 €14.84

27.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 £70.5

$67.8 €60.3

38.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$11.14 €9.91

-5.66%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.45

$4.03 €3.58

14.14%

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

$2.81 £2.11

$2.77 €2.46

1.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.38

$0.55 €0.49

232.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 £5.93

$5.74 €5.10

37.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 £4.82

$5.45 €4.85

17.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.82 €1.62

-9.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.38 €1.23

24.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.72

$2.80 €2.49

-17.86%

Eggs

$4.60 £3.45

$4.83 €4.30

-4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 £7.09

$15.05 €13.39

-37.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 £7.21

$10.63 €9.45

-9.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 £11.59

$18.43 €16.39

-16.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.21

$2.20 €1.96

33.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.90 €1.69

-25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.22

$1.37 €1.22

116.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$2.10 €1.87

56.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.08 €0.96

54.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.12 €1.00

58.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.12 €1.00

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$0.88 €0.79

101.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.20 £16.65

$5.48 €4.88

305.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$10.13 €9.01

7.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$2.13 €1.89

42.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 £2.94

$2.25 €2.00

74.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.57

$1.36 €1.21

152.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.6 £73.2

$29.89 €26.59

226.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £4.05

$4.45 €3.96

21.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.02 €0.90

155.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.45 £19.09

$16.92 €15.05

50.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$2.25 €2.00

-6.22%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$28.0K €24.9K

38.92%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$28.2K €25.1K

44.98%

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

$334 £250

$205 €182

63.01%

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

$18.31 £13.73

$26.65 €23.71

-31.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.86 £30.65

$30.38 €27.02

34.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 £33.70

$54.5 €48.47

-17.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$17.09 £12.82

$10.42 €9.27

64.01%

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

$2,535 £1,902

$569 €506

345.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K £26.3K

$12.6K €11.2K

178.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 £66.0

$88.7 €78.9

-0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.25 £34.69

$40.46 €35.99

14.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 £69.8

$105 €93.3

-11.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 £72.1

$121 €108

-20.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 £1,013

$741 €659

82.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 £768

$655 €582

56.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,960 £2,221

$1,300 €1,156

127.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 £1,575

$1,148 €1,021

82.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,983 £3,738

$4,014 €3,570

24.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,831 £2,874

$3,460 €3,078

10.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,485 £2,614

$1,242 €1,105

180.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

4.48

12.50%

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

Last update for Ilford: October 10, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ilford

$1K 42.4%

Athens

$655 36.9% 36% $369

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilford

$393 16.3%

Athens

$262 14.7% 33.4% $131

Eating Out

Ilford

$328 13.6%

Athens

$268 15.1% 18.3% $60

Groceries & Markets

Ilford

$315 13.1%

Athens

$310 17.5% 1.5% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Ilford

$146 6%

Athens

$160 9% 9.9% $14

Getting Around

Ilford

$130 5.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 65.4% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Ilford

$79 3.3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 4.8% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,350 in Ilford and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilford pays 181% 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: $94.0 in Ilford vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ilford

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

01:46 1:46 AM

2 h ahead of Ilford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,168

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ilford Athens 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ilford
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

Ilford vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Ilford. 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 181% higher in Ilford, 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: $1,350 in Ilford 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 $94.0 in Ilford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,414 per month in Ilford versus $1,775 in Athens – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,414 in Ilford, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Ilford. 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, Ilford 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 36% less than in Ilford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.