Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jena and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Jena and in Athens: $1,786 and $1,775 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Jena
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Jena Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Jena

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,786

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,786 in Jena versus $1,775 in Athens.

Jena $1,786
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,668 in Jena versus $2,721 in Athens.

Jena $2,668
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,550 in Jena versus $3,666 in Athens.

Jena $3,550
Athens $3,666

Living in Jena is roughly 1% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jena 32% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.92 €11.49

$16.69 €14.84

-22.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 €58.7

$67.8 €60.3

-2.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.03

$11.14 €9.91

1.26%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.58

$4.03 €3.58

-0.25%

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

$3.04 €2.71

$2.77 €2.46

9.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.55 €0.49

443.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.61 €4.99

$5.74 €5.10

-2.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.04

$5.45 €4.85

-16.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.82 €1.62

-36.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.38 €1.23

56.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$2.80 €2.49

4.29%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.25

$4.83 €4.30

-24.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.56 €12.95

$15.05 €13.39

-3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 €10.35

$10.63 €9.45

9.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.23 €17.11

$18.43 €16.39

4.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.20 €1.96

40.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.90 €1.69

-2.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.37 €1.22

49.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.54

$2.10 €1.87

89.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.08 €0.96

25.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.12 €1.00

0.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.12 €1.00

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.88 €0.79

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.80 €8.72

$5.48 €4.88

78.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.54 €4.93

$10.13 €9.01

-45.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$2.13 €1.89

-53.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.25 €2.00

-36.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.36 €1.21

110.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.1 €61.4

$29.89 €26.59

131.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €4.03

$4.45 €3.96

1.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.02 €0.90

165.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.59 €29.88

$16.92 €15.05

98.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.25 €2.00

-2.67%

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

$30.1K €26.8K

$28.0K €24.9K

7.50%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$28.2K €25.1K

36.28%

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

$380 €338

$205 €182

85.86%

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

$20.18 €17.95

$26.65 €23.71

-24.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.58 €37.87

$30.38 €27.02

40.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.48 €32.45

$54.5 €48.47

-33.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 €8.95

$10.42 €9.27

-3.45%

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

$874 €778

$569 €506

53.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$12.6K €11.2K

20.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 €76.8

$88.7 €78.9

-2.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.90 €36.38

$40.46 €35.99

1.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.1

$105 €93.3

3.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

0.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 €639

$741 €659

-2.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 €411

$655 €582

-29.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 €1,078

$1,300 €1,156

-6.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 €752

$1,148 €1,021

-26.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,753 €2,449

$3,460 €3,078

-20.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,204 €2,850

$1,242 €1,105

157.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.48

-11.61%

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

Last update for Jena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jena

$462 25.9%

Athens

$655 36.9% 41.6% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jena

$443 24.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 40.9% $181

Groceries & Markets

Jena

$318 17.8%

Athens

$310 17.5% 2.4% $7.6

Eating Out

Jena

$247 13.8%

Athens

$268 15.1% 8.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Jena

$161 9%

Athens

$160 9% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Jena

$99 5.5%

Athens

$45 2.5% 54.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Jena

$57 3.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 33.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Jena and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jena pays 158% 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: $66.0 in Jena vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $310, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Jena

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

10:39 10:39 AM

1 h ahead of Jena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,343

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Jena Athens 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jena
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

Jena vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Jena. 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 158% higher in Jena, 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: $719 in Jena 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 $66.0 in Jena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,786 per month in Jena versus $1,775 in Athens – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,786 in Jena, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Jena. 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, Jena 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 1% less than in Jena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.