Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilmenau and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,071 in Ilmenau, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Ilmenau
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Ilmenau Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Ilmenau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,071

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,071 in Ilmenau versus $1,775 in Athens.

Ilmenau $2,071
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,525 in Ilmenau versus $2,721 in Athens.

Ilmenau $2,525
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Ilmenau versus $3,666 in Athens.

Ilmenau $2,980
Athens $3,666

Living in Ilmenau is roughly 17% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ilmenau 53% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 €9.75

$16.69 €14.84

-34.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$67.8 €60.3

-1.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.02

$11.14 €9.91

1.17%

Cappuccino

$3.41 €3.04

$4.03 €3.58

-15.38%

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

$4.26 €3.79

$2.77 €2.46

53.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 €7.09

$0.55 €0.49

1349.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.41 €3.92

$5.74 €5.10

-23.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 €4.44

$5.45 €4.85

-8.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.82 €1.62

-37.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.38 €1.23

55.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 €2.88

$2.80 €2.49

15.71%

Eggs

$3.23 €2.87

$4.83 €4.30

-33.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 €12.75

$15.05 €13.39

-4.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 €9.11

$10.63 €9.45

-3.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.79

$18.43 €16.39

-3.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.20 €1.96

30.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.90 €1.69

-26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 €3.11

$1.37 €1.22

155.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 €3.40

$2.10 €1.87

81.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.08 €0.96

95.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.12 €1.00

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.12 €1.00

45.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.88 €0.79

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.22 €8.20

$5.48 €4.88

68.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 €5.53

$10.13 €9.01

-38.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$2.13 €1.89

-47.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.25 €2.00

-34.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 €58.1

$29.89 €26.59

118.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.65

$4.45 €3.96

17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.21 €3.75

$1.02 €0.90

312.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.78 €38.94

$16.92 €15.05

158.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.25 €2.00

-4.89%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$28.0K €24.9K

15.08%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$28.2K €25.1K

33.77%

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

$675 €600

$205 €182

229.83%

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

$27.38 €24.36

$26.65 €23.71

2.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.08 €30.32

$30.38 €27.02

12.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.13 €42.81

$54.5 €48.47

-11.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 €11.74

$10.42 €9.27

26.68%

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

$454 €404

$569 €506

-20.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.0 €82.8

$88.7 €78.9

4.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.50 €28.02

$40.46 €35.99

-22.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €107

$105 €93.3

15.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$121 €108

-6.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 €419

$741 €659

-36.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 €404

$655 €582

-30.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 €737

$1,300 €1,156

-36.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,254 €2,894

$1,242 €1,105

161.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

4.48

-11.83%

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

Last update for Ilmenau: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilmenau

$736 35.6%

Athens

$262 14.7% 64.5% $475

Accommodation & Living

Ilmenau

$455 22%

Athens

$655 36.9% 44% $200

Groceries & Markets

Ilmenau

$309 14.9%

Athens

$310 17.5% 0.5% $1.5

Eating Out

Ilmenau

$243 11.8%

Athens

$268 15.1% 10.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Ilmenau

$161 7.8%

Athens

$160 9% 0.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Ilmenau

$92 * 4.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 51% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Ilmenau

$75 3.6%

Athens

$75 4.2% 1.1% $0.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $471 in Ilmenau and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilmenau pays 162% 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: $67.0 in Ilmenau vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $309 vs $310 per month, with Ilmenau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ilmenau

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

1 h ahead of Ilmenau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,000

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

Ilmenau Athens 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ilmenau
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

Ilmenau vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ilmenau. 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 162% higher in Ilmenau, 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: $471 in Ilmenau 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 $67.0 in Ilmenau. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,071 per month in Ilmenau versus $1,775 in Athens – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,071 in Ilmenau, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Ilmenau. 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, Ilmenau 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 17% less than in Ilmenau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.