Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ljubljana and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,111 in Ljubljana, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ljubljana outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
Learn more

Ljubljana Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,111

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,111 in Ljubljana versus $1,806 in Athens.

Ljubljana $2,111
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,086 in Ljubljana versus $2,731 in Athens.

Ljubljana $3,086
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,062 in Ljubljana versus $3,656 in Athens.

Ljubljana $4,062
Athens $3,656

Living in Ljubljana is roughly 17% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ljubljana 58% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.87 €14.16

$16.66 €14.87

-4.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$66.2 €59.1

1.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 €9.88

$11.06 €9.87

0.09%

Cappuccino

$2.90 €2.58

$4.14 €3.69

-29.95%

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

$3.22 €2.87

$2.80 €2.50

15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.57 €0.51

245.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 €3.52

$5.64 €5.03

-30.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.95

$5.46 €4.87

-18.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.96 €1.75

-30.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.41 €1.26

56.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 €2.87

$2.83 €2.53

13.78%

Eggs

$4.11 €3.67

$5.04 €4.50

-18.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.98 €13.36

$15.35 €13.70

-2.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 €9.07

$10.34 €9.23

-1.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.01 €13.40

$18.97 €16.93

-20.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.17 €1.93

5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.91 €1.70

-9.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.38 €1.23

64.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 €3.21

$2.20 €1.96

63.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.10 €0.98

35.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.13 €1.00

44.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.10 €0.99

55.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.83 €0.74

7.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 €5.66

$5.60 €4.99

13.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 €7.06

$10.19 €9.09

-22.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.18 €1.95

-34.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.45 €2.19

-10.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.38 €1.23

23.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.46 €37.00

$30.87 €27.55

34.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 €1.92

$4.37 €3.90

-50.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.04 €0.93

20.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.30 €17.22

$17.11 €15.27

12.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.31 €2.07

-17.75%

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

$29.6K €26.4K

$28.0K €25.0K

5.82%

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

$25.1K €22.4K

$28.0K €25.0K

-10.34%

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

$287 €256

$210 €187

36.78%

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

$16.33 €14.58

$26.70 €23.83

-38.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.49 €37.92

$30.13 €26.89

41.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.66

$54.6 €48.72

-0.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.60 €21.96

$26.03 €23.23

-5.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.49 €9.36

$10.78 €9.62

-2.69%

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

$661 €590

$575 €513

14.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K €12.4K

$13.1K €11.7K

5.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 €104

$93.2 €83.1

24.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.02 €39.29

$40.68 €36.30

8.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$104 €92.9

4.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$128 €115

13.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 €1,002

$756 €674

48.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$884 €789

$652 €582

35.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$1,294 €1,154

60.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 €1,277

$1,163 €1,038

23.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,421 €5,730

$4,008 €3,577

60.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,816 €4,298

$3,452 €3,081

39.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,001 €1,786

$1,243 €1,110

60.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

4.48

-20.54%

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

Last update for Ljubljana: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ljubljana

$884 42.1%

Athens

$652 36.5% 26.2% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ljubljana

$346 16.5%

Athens

$267 14.9% 22.9% $79

Groceries & Markets

Ljubljana

$307 14.6%

Athens

$315 17.6% 2.4% $7.3

Eating Out

Ljubljana

$244 11.6%

Athens

$269 15% 10% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Ljubljana

$187 8.9%

Athens

$165 9.2% 11.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Ljubljana

$76 3.6%

Athens

$76 4.3% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Ljubljana

$57 2.7%

Athens

$46 2.6% 18.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,123 in Ljubljana and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ljubljana pays 61% 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 Ljubljana vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $315, with Ljubljana cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

1 h ahead of Ljubljana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,604 Capital

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

Ljubljana Athens 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ljubljana
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

Ljubljana vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ljubljana. 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 61% higher in Ljubljana, 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: $1,123 in Ljubljana versus $756 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 $66.0 versus $67.0 in Ljubljana. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,111 per month in Ljubljana versus $1,806 in Athens – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,111 in Ljubljana, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Ljubljana. 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, Ljubljana 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 Ljubljana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.