Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johnson City, TN and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $2,138 in Johnson City, TN, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
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Johnson City, TN Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,138

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,138 in Johnson City, TN versus $1,759 in Athens.

Johnson City, TN $2,138
Athens $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,133 in Johnson City, TN versus $2,696 in Athens.

Johnson City, TN $3,133
Athens $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,129 in Johnson City, TN versus $3,632 in Athens.

Johnson City, TN $4,129
Athens $3,632

Living in Johnson City, TN is roughly 22% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Johnson City, TN 57% above, Athens 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 $13.78

$17.05 €15.31

-19.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 $53.9

$65.8 €59.1

-18.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.96 €9.84

-9.85%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$4.10 €3.69

25.37%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$2.83 €2.54

1.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.59 €0.53

244.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$5.62 €5.05

-12.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 $6.04

$5.67 €5.09

6.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.90 €1.70

-48.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.46 €1.31

156.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.71 €2.43

46.49%

Eggs

$3.11 $3.11

$5.04 €4.53

-38.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 $7.53

$15.08 €13.54

-50.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.67 $13.67

$10.28 €9.23

32.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 $13.09

$19.40 €17.42

-32.53%

Apples (1kg)

$7.59 $7.59

$2.12 €1.91

258.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.91 €1.71

-9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.41 €1.26

190.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.13 €1.91

71.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.04 €0.94

226.92%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.13 €1.02

284.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.13 €1.01

94.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.81 €0.73

191.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.52 €4.96

63.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 $13.14

$9.99 €8.97

31.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.04 €1.83

-21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.28 €2.05

93.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.31 €1.18

-25.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.13 $25.13

$30.67 €27.55

-18.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 $5.58

$4.37 €3.93

27.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.03 €0.92

39.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.19 $15.19

$17.05 €15.32

-10.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.34 €2.10

-64.53%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$28.3K €25.4K

6.18%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$26.8K €24.0K

-7.68%

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

$172 $172

$200 €180

-13.86%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$25.17 €22.61

106.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$29.65 €26.64

110.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.20 $47.20

$50.4 €45.31

-6.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$25.94 €23.30

-22.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 $11.88

$10.52 €9.45

12.93%

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

$1,185 $1,185

$576 €518

105.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K $14.6K

$12.9K €11.6K

13.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.41 $37.41

$89.7 €80.6

-58.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.80 $30.80

$39.57 €35.55

-22.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 $87.4

$105 €94.7

-17.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 $94.4

$124 €111

-23.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 $1,178

$740 €665

59.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$980 $980

$643 €577

52.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,992 $1,992

$1,305 €1,172

52.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 $1,616

$1,121 €1,007

44.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,444 $2,444

$4,011 €3,603

-39.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,033 $2,033

$3,284 €2,950

-38.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 $3,584

$1,224 €1,099

192.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

4.48

44.87%

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

Last update for Johnson City, TN: October 26, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johnson City, TN

$980 45.9%

Athens

$643 36.5% 34.4% $338

Groceries & Markets

Johnson City, TN

$388 18.1%

Athens

$312 17.7% 19.5% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johnson City, TN

$287 13.4%

Athens

$255 14.5% 11.1% $32

Eating Out

Johnson City, TN

$258 12.1%

Athens

$272 15.4% 5.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Johnson City, TN

$113 5.3%

Athens

$161 9.2% 43.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.3%

Athens

$71 4.1% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Johnson City, TN

$42 2%

Athens

$45 2.6% 8.7% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,178 in Johnson City, TN and $740 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johnson City, TN pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $54 in Johnson City, TN vs $66 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $312, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

6 h ahead of Johnson City, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,027

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Johnson City, TN Athens 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Johnson City, TN
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

Johnson City, TN vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Johnson City, TN. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Johnson City, TN is about 2.9 times higher, 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: $1,178 in Johnson City, TN versus $740 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Johnson City, TN – a meal for two runs $54 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,138 per month in Johnson City, TN versus $1,759 in Athens – Athens is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,759 in Athens versus $2,138 in Johnson City, TN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Johnson City, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Athens wins on affordability, Johnson City, TN on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.