Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melun and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Melun and in Athens: $1,687 and $1,771 a month, rent and utilities included.

82

Cost of Living Index in Melun
Learn more

Melun Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Melun

🇫🇷 France

$1,687

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,687 in Melun versus $1,771 in Athens.

Melun $1,687
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,511 in Melun versus $2,736 in Athens.

Melun $2,511
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,335 in Melun versus $3,701 in Athens.

Melun $3,335
Athens $3,701

Living in Melun costs roughly 5% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melun 24% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 €11.32

$16.83 €14.97

-24.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 €47.20

$68.2 €60.7

-22.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.93

$11.43 €10.17

17.32%

Cappuccino

$2.99 €2.66

$4.06 €3.61

-26.35%

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

$1.68 €1.50

$2.74 €2.44

-38.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.53 €0.47

226.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.44 €6.62

$5.69 €5.06

30.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 €5.00

$5.68 €5.06

-0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.85 €1.64

-28.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.44 €1.28

31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.82 €2.51

1.42%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.70

$4.86 €4.32

-14.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.19 €18.85

$15.27 €13.58

38.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.88 €11.46

$10.36 €9.21

24.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.95 €20.41

$19.10 €16.99

20.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.22 €1.98

49.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.92 €1.71

10.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.41 €1.25

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.04 €1.82

50.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.05 €0.93

73.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.17 €1.04

70.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.08 €0.96

63.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$0.84 €0.75

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 €12.38

$5.49 €4.89

153.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 €7.29

$10.17 €9.05

-19.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.13 €1.90

15.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.28 €2.03

87.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.37 €1.22

42.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.25 €42.03

$29.71 €26.43

59.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$4.39 €3.90

-49.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.00 €0.89

116.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.81 €21.18

$16.63 €14.79

43.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.38 €2.11

-6.30%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$28.4K €25.3K

20.00%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$27.2K €24.2K

25.90%

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

$197 €176

$203 €181

-3.01%

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

$15.10 €13.43

$26.79 €23.83

-43.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.14 €25.03

$30.16 €26.82

-6.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.17 €31.29

$53.7 €47.74

-34.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.87

$10.59 €9.42

-5.85%

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

$623 €554

$566 €504

9.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,092 €7,197

$12.9K €11.4K

-37.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.0

$89.1 €79.3

-2.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.76 €36.25

$40.48 €36.01

0.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$104 €92.3

-0.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.4

$124 €111

-18.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €660

$729 €648

1.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 €499

$647 €576

-13.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,061

$1,328 €1,181

-10.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 €785

$1,169 €1,040

-24.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,959 €3,522

$4,024 €3,579

-1.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,978 €2,649

$3,483 €3,098

-14.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,499 €2,223

$1,240 €1,103

101.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

4.48

-12.50%

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

Last update for Melun: October 19, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melun

$561 33.2%

Athens

$647 36.5% 15.4% $87

Groceries & Markets

Melun

$372 22.1%

Athens

$312 17.6% 16.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melun

$241 14.3%

Athens

$260 14.7% 8.2% $20

Eating Out

Melun

$240 14.2%

Athens

$271 15.3% 12.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Melun

$150 8.9%

Athens

$161 9.1% 7.6% $11

Getting Around

Melun

$68 4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 34.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Melun

$55 3.3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 35.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Melun and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melun pays 101% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $53.0 in Melun vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $372 vs $312, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Melun

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

1 h ahead of Melun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,367

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

Melun Athens 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Melun
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

Melun vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melun wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Melun the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 101% higher in Melun, 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: $742 in Melun versus $729 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Melun – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,687 per month in Melun versus $1,771 in Athens – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,687 in Melun versus $1,771 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Melun but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Melun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Melun delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,687 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Melun hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Melun 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 Melun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.