Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meilen and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $3,372 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
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Meilen Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,372 in Meilen versus $1,775 in Athens.

Meilen $3,372
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,942 in Meilen versus $2,721 in Athens.

Meilen $5,942
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,512 in Meilen versus $3,666 in Athens.

Meilen $8,512
Athens $3,666

Living in Meilen is roughly 90% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Meilen 150% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$16.69 €14.84

94.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$67.8 €60.3

80.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.33 CHF 13.45

$11.14 €9.91

46.59%

Cappuccino

$6.31 CHF 5.19

$4.03 €3.58

56.58%

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

$5.68 CHF 4.67

$2.77 €2.46

105.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 CHF 4.13

$0.55 €0.49

810.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 CHF 6.97

$5.74 €5.10

47.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 CHF 6.83

$5.45 €4.84

52.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$1.82 €1.62

21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 CHF 2.69

$1.38 €1.23

136.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$2.80 €2.49

35.00%

Eggs

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$4.83 €4.30

55.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.56 CHF 21.87

$15.05 €13.39

76.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.69 CHF 21.16

$10.63 €9.45

141.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.25 CHF 33.15

$18.43 €16.39

118.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$2.20 €1.96

55.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 CHF 1.67

$1.90 €1.69

6.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 CHF 2.20

$1.37 €1.22

94.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$2.10 €1.87

118.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$1.08 €0.96

81.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.12 €1.00

92.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$1.12 €1.00

107.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CHF 1.03

$0.88 €0.79

42.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.03 CHF 9.09

$5.48 €4.88

101.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 CHF 10.91

$10.13 €9.01

30.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$2.13 €1.89

6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$2.25 €2.00

43.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CHF 3.78

$1.36 €1.21

237.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.8 CHF 79.7

$29.89 €26.59

223.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 CHF 6.21

$4.45 €3.96

69.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$1.02 €0.90

341.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.0 CHF 72.5

$16.92 €15.05

420.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$2.25 €2.00

0.44%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

$28.0K €24.9K

37.97%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$28.2K €25.1K

39.62%

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

$235 CHF 194

$205 €182

15.03%

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

$36.06 CHF 29.70

$26.65 €23.70

35.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 CHF 53.8

$30.38 €27.02

114.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.1 CHF 72.6

$54.5 €48.46

61.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.50 CHF 36.65

$25.88 €23.02

71.95%

Cinema Ticket

$21.90 CHF 18.04

$10.42 €9.27

110.17%

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

$2,816 CHF 2,319

$569 €506

394.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

$12.6K €11.2K

235.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$88.7 €78.9

55.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 CHF 48.77

$40.46 €35.99

46.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 CHF 118

$105 €93.3

36.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 CHF 143

$121 €108

43.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 CHF 1,392

$741 €659

128.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 CHF 1,211

$655 €582

124.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,831 CHF 2,332

$1,300 €1,156

117.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,065 CHF 3,348

$1,148 €1,021

254.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.8K CHF 13.0K

$4,014 €3,570

293.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K CHF 9,812

$3,460 €3,078

244.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,259 CHF 6,802

$1,242 €1,105

564.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

4.48

-61.61%

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

Last update for Meilen: 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

Meilen

$1.5K 43.6%

Athens

$655 36.9% 55.5% $816

Groceries & Markets

Meilen

$570 16.9%

Athens

$310 17.5% 45.6% $260

Eating Out

Meilen

$486 14.4%

Athens

$268 15.1% 44.8% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meilen

$337 10%

Athens

$262 14.7% 22.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Meilen

$231 6.9%

Athens

$160 9% 30.9% $71

Getting Around

Meilen

$145 4.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 69.1% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Meilen

$132 3.9%

Athens

$75 4.2% 42.9% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,690 in Meilen and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Meilen pays 565% 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: $122 in Meilen vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $570 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Meilen

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

1 h ahead of Meilen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,515

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Meilen Athens 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Meilen
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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

Meilen vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 90% lower than in Meilen. 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 565% higher in Meilen, 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: $1,690 in Meilen versus $741 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 $122 in Meilen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,372 per month in Meilen versus $1,775 in Athens – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $3,372 in Meilen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Meilen. 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 $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Meilen 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 90% less than in Meilen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.