Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Krakow and in Athens: $1,811 and $1,806 a month, rent and utilities included.

88

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,811

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,811 in Krakow versus $1,806 in Athens.

Krakow $1,811
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,597 in Krakow versus $2,731 in Athens.

Krakow $2,597
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,383 in Krakow versus $3,656 in Athens.

Krakow $3,383
Athens $3,656

Monthly costs are close between Krakow and Athens; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Krakow 35% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.89 zł 46.38

$16.66 €14.85

-28.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 zł 196

$66.2 €59.0

-24.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 zł 38.86

$11.06 €9.86

-9.95%

Cappuccino

$4.12 zł 16.06

$4.14 €3.69

-0.48%

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

$2.57 zł 10.04

$2.80 €2.50

-8.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 zł 9.51

$0.57 €0.51

328.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 zł 17.85

$5.64 €5.03

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 zł 17.81

$5.46 €4.86

-16.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 zł 4.12

$1.96 €1.74

-45.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 zł 5.73

$1.41 €1.25

4.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.61

$2.83 €2.53

-40.28%

Eggs

$3.95 zł 15.40

$5.04 €4.49

-21.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 zł 36.31

$15.35 €13.68

-39.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 zł 30.24

$10.34 €9.22

-25.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 zł 51.5

$18.97 €16.92

-30.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 zł 5.22

$2.17 €1.93

-38.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.61

$1.91 €1.70

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.85

$1.38 €1.23

27.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 zł 11.93

$2.20 €1.96

39.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 zł 3.61

$1.10 €0.98

-16.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 zł 3.82

$1.13 €1.00

-13.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 zł 4.80

$1.10 €0.98

11.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 zł 3.13

$0.83 €0.74

-3.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.22 zł 24.29

$5.60 €4.99

11.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 zł 24.57

$10.19 €9.08

-38.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 zł 4.62

$2.18 €1.95

-45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 zł 6.89

$2.45 €2.18

-27.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 zł 5.85

$1.38 €1.23

8.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.54 zł 131

$30.87 €27.52

8.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 zł 8.89

$4.37 €3.90

-47.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 zł 3.88

$1.04 €0.93

-4.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.22 zł 47.70

$17.11 €15.26

-28.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 zł 6.61

$2.31 €2.06

-26.84%

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

$30.4K zł 118.8K

$28.0K €24.9K

8.81%

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

$28.9K zł 112.7K

$28.0K €25.0K

3.13%

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

$333 zł 1,299

$210 €187

58.73%

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

$8.71 zł 33.98

$26.70 €23.80

-67.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 zł 67.6

$30.13 €26.86

-42.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.70 zł 178

$54.6 €48.68

-16.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.11 zł 98.0

$26.03 €23.21

-3.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 zł 33.90

$10.78 €9.61

-19.39%

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

$463 zł 1,805

$575 €513

-19.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,594 zł 37.4K

$13.1K €11.7K

-26.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.1 zł 387

$93.2 €83.1

6.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.31 zł 157

$40.68 €36.27

-0.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 zł 352

$104 €92.8

-13.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 zł 464

$128 €114

-7.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 zł 3,692

$756 €674

25.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 zł 2,800

$652 €582

9.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 zł 5,620

$1,294 €1,153

11.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 zł 4,432

$1,163 €1,037

-2.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,602 zł 21.9K

$4,008 €3,574

39.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,540 zł 13.8K

$3,452 €3,078

2.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,855 zł 7,238

$1,243 €1,109

49.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

4.48

47.77%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$717 39.8%

Athens

$652 36.5% 9.1% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$359 19.9%

Athens

$267 14.9% 25.7% $92

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$235 13%

Athens

$315 17.6% 34.2% $80

Eating Out

Krakow

$226 12.6%

Athens

$269 15% 18.7% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$157 8.7%

Athens

$165 9.2% 5.1% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$63 3.5%

Athens

$76 4.3% 20.8% $13

Getting Around

Krakow

$47 2.6%

Athens

$46 2.6% 1.8% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $946 in Krakow and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50.0 in Krakow vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $315 per month, with Krakow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

10:13 10:13 AM

1 h ahead of Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.9 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Krakow Athens 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Krakow
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

Krakow vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 49% higher in Krakow, 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: $946 in Krakow versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Krakow versus $575 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $50.0 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $1,811 in Krakow, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Krakow. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Krakow 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.

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