Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Markham and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $2,429 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Markham outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

119

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,429

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,429 in Markham versus $1,771 in Athens.

Markham $2,429
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,533 in Markham versus $2,736 in Athens.

Markham $3,533
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,638 in Markham versus $3,701 in Athens.

Markham $4,638
Athens $3,701

Living in Markham is roughly 37% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Markham 79% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 CA$24.74

$16.83 €14.97

3.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 CA$74.5

$68.2 €60.7

-22.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 CA$14.85

$11.43 €10.17

-8.14%

Cappuccino

$3.69 CA$5.22

$4.06 €3.61

-9.11%

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

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.74 €2.44

-35.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$0.53 €0.47

122.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.62 CA$5.11

$5.69 €5.06

-36.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 CA$8.07

$5.68 €5.06

0.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.85 €1.64

3.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 CA$3.19

$1.44 €1.28

56.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 CA$2.70

$2.82 €2.51

-32.27%

Eggs

$3.18 CA$4.49

$4.86 €4.32

-34.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.96 CA$16.91

$10.36 €9.21

15.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.92 CA$9.79

$19.10 €16.99

-63.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.32

$2.22 €1.98

69.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 CA$1.89

$1.92 €1.71

-30.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 CA$3.27

$1.41 €1.25

64.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 CA$4.58

$2.04 €1.82

58.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 CA$2.86

$1.05 €0.93

92.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.17 €1.04

69.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 CA$4.03

$1.08 €0.96

163.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CA$2.10

$0.84 €0.75

77.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.22 CA$18.69

$5.49 €4.89

140.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.59 CA$20.63

$10.17 €9.05

43.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$2.13 €1.90

12.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.28 €2.03

36.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$1.37 €1.22

126.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.7 CA$130

$29.71 €26.43

208.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 CA$4.79

$4.39 €3.90

-22.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.30 CA$25.88

$16.63 €14.79

10.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$2.38 €2.11

-50.00%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$28.4K €25.3K

-2.88%

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

$21.4K CA$30.2K

$27.2K €24.2K

-21.41%

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

$126 CA$178

$203 €181

-37.96%

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

$27.25 CA$38.52

$26.79 €23.83

1.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.89 CA$64.9

$30.16 €26.82

52.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.66 CA$60.3

$53.7 €47.74

-20.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.28 CA$30.09

$26.40 €23.48

-19.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 CA$14.14

$10.59 €9.42

-5.57%

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

$878 CA$1,242

$566 €504

55.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K CA$38.8K

$12.9K €11.4K

113.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.38 CA$59.9

$89.1 €79.3

-52.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.9

$40.48 €36.01

-5.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 CA$133

$104 €92.3

-9.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$149

$124 €111

-15.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,607 CA$2,271

$729 €648

120.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 CA$1,972

$647 €576

115.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,736 CA$3,868

$1,328 €1,181

106.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,343 CA$3,312

$1,169 €1,040

100.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,918 CA$8,367

$4,024 €3,579

47.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,456 CA$7,714

$3,483 €3,098

56.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,198 CA$4,520

$1,240 €1,103

157.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.56

4.48

1.79%

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

Last update for Markham: October 20, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Markham

$1.4K 57.4%

Athens

$647 36.5% 53.6% $748

Groceries & Markets

Markham

$282 * 11.6%

Athens

$312 17.6% 10.9% $31

Eating Out

Markham

$257 10.6%

Athens

$271 15.3% 5.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Markham

$199 8.2%

Athens

$260 14.7% 30.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Markham

$126 5.2%

Athens

$161 9.1% 27.8% $35

Getting Around

Markham

$107 * 4.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 58.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Markham

$63 2.6%

Athens

$75 4.2% 19.5% $12

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 $1,607 in Markham and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 158% 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: $53.0 in Markham vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $282 vs $312 per month, with Markham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Markham

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

03:46 3:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

7 h ahead of Markham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

338,503

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Markham Athens 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Markham
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

Markham vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Markham. 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 158% higher in Markham, 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: $1,607 in Markham versus $729 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 $68.0 versus $53.0 in Markham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,429 per month in Markham versus $1,771 in Athens – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $2,429 in Markham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Markham. 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 $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Markham 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 37% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.