Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machakos and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Machakos: $522 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
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Machakos Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$522

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $522 in Machakos versus $1,779 in Athens.

Machakos $522
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $806 in Machakos versus $2,721 in Athens.

Machakos $806
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,091 in Machakos versus $3,663 in Athens.

Machakos $1,091
Athens $3,663

Living in Machakos costs roughly 71% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Machakos is 61% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.14 KES 408

$16.83 €14.99

-81.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.49 KES 2,530

$66.0 €58.8

-70.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 KES 847

$11.21 €9.99

-41.84%

Cappuccino

$1.95 KES 253

$4.08 €3.64

-52.21%

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

$0.70 KES 90.3

$2.77 €2.47

-74.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 KES 69.2

$0.54 €0.48

-1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 KES 268

$5.70 €5.08

-63.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 KES 356

$6.26 €5.58

-56.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.40 KES 51.7

$1.84 €1.64

-78.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 KES 57.8

$1.43 €1.27

-68.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 KES 104

$2.67 €2.38

-70.04%

Eggs

$1.42 KES 185

$4.95 €4.41

-71.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 KES 1,425

$15.09 €13.45

-27.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 KES 841

$10.99 €9.79

-41.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 KES 613

$19.77 €17.61

-76.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 KES 203

$2.12 €1.89

-25.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 KES 105

$1.98 €1.76

-59.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.39 KES 51.0

$1.33 €1.19

-70.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.37 KES 47.86

$2.16 €1.92

-82.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 KES 102

$1.06 €0.94

-26.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 KES 96.3

$1.15 €1.02

-35.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 KES 96.9

$1.08 €0.97

-30.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 47.51

$0.85 €0.75

-56.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 KES 465

$5.46 €4.86

-34.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.74 KES 1,524

$10.03 €8.93

17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 KES 251

$2.04 €1.82

-5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 KES 351

$2.38 €2.12

13.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 KES 96.5

$3.81 €3.39

-80.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 KES 104

$1.03 €0.92

-22.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 KES 373

$16.49 €14.68

-82.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 KES 195

$2.34 €2.09

-35.90%

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

$19.1K KES 2.5M

$27.8K €24.7K

-31.18%

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

$21.4K KES 2.8M

$26.6K €23.7K

-19.44%

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

$56.7 KES 7,366

$202 €180

-71.95%

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

$7.73 KES 1,004

$26.81 €23.88

-71.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.47 KES 1,489

$30.49 €27.16

-62.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.34 KES 4,977

$54.1 €48.17

-29.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 KES 1,010

$10.44 €9.30

-25.48%

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

$46.01 KES 5,973

$568 €506

-91.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K KES 1.5M

$15.2K €13.5K

-21.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.44 KES 1,485

$90.7 €80.8

-87.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.26 KES 3,929

$39.32 €35.03

-23.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 KES 8,929

$105 €93.7

-34.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.58 KES 5,009

$129 €115

-70.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 KES 12.2K

$742 €661

-87.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.4 KES 8,880

$648 €578

-89.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$153 KES 19.9K

$1,271 €1,132

-87.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 KES 14.9K

$1,122 €999

-89.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$382 KES 49.6K

$1,245 €1,109

-69.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

4.44

231.31%

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

Last update for Machakos: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Machakos

$163 31.2%

Athens

$316 17.8% 94.5% $154

Eating Out

Machakos

$89 17%

Athens

$272 15.3% 206% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machakos

$76 14.6%

Athens

$260 14.6% 242% $184

Accommodation & Living

Machakos

$68 13.1%

Athens

$648 36.4% 848% $580

Clothing & Footwear

Machakos

$67 12.9%

Athens

$164 9.2% 144% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Machakos

$54 10.3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 39.1% $21

Getting Around

Machakos

$4.7 * 0.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 847% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $94 in Machakos and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 3.3 times 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: $19 in Machakos vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $163 vs $316 per month, with Machakos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Machakos

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

1 h behind Machakos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,109

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Machakos Athens 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Machakos
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

Machakos vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machakos wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Machakos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Machakos. 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: $94 in Machakos versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $46 in Machakos versus $568 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Machakos – a meal for two runs $19 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $522 in Machakos versus $1,779 in Athens, a $800 budget is realistic in Machakos but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Machakos 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.

Safety-wise, Machakos and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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