Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kos and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Kos: $1,498 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
Learn more

Kos Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,498

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,498 in Kos versus $1,775 in Athens.

Kos $1,498
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,242 in Kos versus $2,721 in Athens.

Kos $2,242
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,985 in Kos versus $3,666 in Athens.

Kos $2,985
Athens $3,666

Living in Kos costs roughly 16% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kos 11% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 €12.23

$16.69 €14.84

-17.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$67.8 €60.3

-2.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 €9.96

$11.14 €9.91

0.54%

Cappuccino

$3.94 €3.50

$4.03 €3.58

-2.23%

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

$3.04 €2.71

$2.77 €2.46

9.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.55 €0.49

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.04

$5.74 €5.10

-20.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.10

$5.45 €4.85

25.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.82 €1.62

29.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.38 €1.23

18.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.80 €2.49

-7.14%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.21

$4.83 €4.30

-1.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.53 €12.04

$15.05 €13.39

-10.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 €8.89

$10.63 €9.45

-6.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 €12.54

$18.43 €16.39

-23.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.20 €1.96

0.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.90 €1.69

6.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.37 €1.22

-0.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.10 €1.87

-5.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.08 €0.96

6.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.12 €1.00

3.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.12 €1.00

-5.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.88 €0.79

-6.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 €4.58

$5.48 €4.88

-6.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.07

$10.13 €9.01

-32.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.13 €1.89

-1.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.25 €2.00

15.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.36 €1.21

29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.70 €39.76

$29.89 €26.59

49.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 €3.79

$4.45 €3.96

-4.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.02 €0.90

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.09 €14.31

$16.92 €15.05

-4.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.25 €2.00

-7.11%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$28.0K €24.9K

-2.16%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$28.2K €25.1K

-9.57%

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

$202 €180

$205 €182

-1.07%

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

$22.74 €20.23

$26.65 €23.71

-14.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.73 €30.89

$30.38 €27.02

14.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 €45.89

$54.5 €48.47

-5.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.44 €25.29

$25.88 €23.02

9.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.07

$10.42 €9.27

-12.96%

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

$430 €382

$569 €506

-24.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,795 €6,934

$12.6K €11.2K

-38.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.7

$88.7 €78.9

-0.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.00 €35.58

$40.46 €35.99

-1.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 €78.6

$105 €93.3

-15.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$121 €108

-2.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 €548

$741 €659

-16.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 €376

$655 €582

-35.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 €656

$1,300 €1,156

-43.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 €511

$1,148 €1,021

-49.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,685 €2,388

$4,014 €3,570

-33.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,416 €2,149

$3,460 €3,078

-30.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$893 €794

$1,242 €1,105

-28.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

4.48

-0.45%

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

Last update for Kos: 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

Kos

$422 28.2%

Athens

$655 36.9% 55% $232

Groceries & Markets

Kos

$290 19.4%

Athens

$310 17.5% 7.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kos

$260 17.4%

Athens

$262 14.7% 0.7% $1.7

Eating Out

Kos

$244 16.3%

Athens

$268 15.1% 10% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Kos

$151 10.1%

Athens

$160 9% 6.1% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kos

$70 4.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 8% $5.6

Getting Around

Kos

$62 4.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 27.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Kos and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 39% 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 Kos vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $310 per month, with Kos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Kos

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

Same time as Kos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,947

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kos Athens 320 km

From you

Kos
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

Kos vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Athens. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $616 in Kos versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kos – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,498 per month in Kos versus $1,775 in Athens – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,498 in Kos versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kos but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Kos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,498 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kos 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 Kos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.