Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mestre and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Mestre and in Athens: $1,794 and $1,775 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Mestre
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Mestre Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Mestre

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,794

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Mestre versus $1,775 in Athens.

Mestre $1,794
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,822 in Mestre versus $2,721 in Athens.

Mestre $2,822
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,851 in Mestre versus $3,666 in Athens.

Mestre $3,851
Athens $3,666

Living in Mestre is roughly 1% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mestre 33% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.40 €11.92

$16.69 €14.84

-19.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.4 €79.5

$67.8 €60.3

31.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 €10.74

$11.14 €9.91

8.44%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.89

$4.03 €3.58

-47.15%

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

$2.85 €2.54

$2.77 €2.46

2.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$0.55 €0.49

169.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.74 €5.10

16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 €4.68

$5.45 €4.85

-3.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.82 €1.62

-9.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.38 €1.23

78.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 €2.72

$2.80 €2.49

8.93%

Eggs

$3.78 €3.36

$4.83 €4.30

-21.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.04 €15.16

$15.05 €13.39

13.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.85 €11.43

$10.63 €9.45

20.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.43 €19.06

$18.43 €16.39

16.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 €2.69

$2.20 €1.96

37.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.90 €1.69

4.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$1.37 €1.22

158.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 €2.78

$2.10 €1.87

49.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.08 €0.96

87.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.12 €1.00

100.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.12 €1.00

48.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.51

$0.88 €0.79

-34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.67 €5.94

$5.48 €4.88

21.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.87

$10.13 €9.01

-34.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.13 €1.89

-28.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.25 €2.00

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.36 €1.21

25.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.26 €36.70

$29.89 €26.59

38.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 €4.18

$4.45 €3.96

5.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.02 €0.90

36.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.34 €27.88

$16.92 €15.05

85.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.25 €2.00

-7.56%

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

$36.7K €32.6K

$28.0K €24.9K

30.79%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$28.2K €25.1K

26.44%

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

$208 €185

$205 €182

1.88%

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

$8.63 €7.67

$26.65 €23.71

-67.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.10 €26.77

$30.38 €27.02

-0.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.40 €42.16

$54.5 €48.47

-13.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.69 €17.52

$25.88 €23.02

-23.92%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 €9.88

$10.42 €9.27

6.62%

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

$681 €605

$569 €506

19.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$12.6K €11.2K

-9.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 €69.2

$88.7 €78.9

-12.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.27 €29.60

$40.46 €35.99

-17.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.7

$105 €93.3

-0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €148

$121 €108

37.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €735

$741 €659

11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$661 €588

$655 €582

1.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 €1,291

$1,300 €1,156

11.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 €1,057

$1,148 €1,021

3.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,889 €1,681

$4,014 €3,570

-52.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,579 €1,405

$3,460 €3,078

-54.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,955 €1,739

$1,242 €1,105

57.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

4.48

-25.45%

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

Last update for Mestre: 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

Mestre

$661 36.9%

Athens

$655 36.9% 1% $6.6

Groceries & Markets

Mestre

$354 19.7%

Athens

$310 17.5% 12.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mestre

$247 13.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 5.9% $14

Eating Out

Mestre

$230 12.8%

Athens

$268 15.1% 16.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Mestre

$172 9.6%

Athens

$160 9% 7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Mestre

$70 3.9%

Athens

$75 4.2% 8.2% $5.7

Getting Around

Mestre

$60 3.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 24.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $826 in Mestre and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mestre pays 57% 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: $89.0 in Mestre vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $354 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Mestre

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

20:59 8:59 PM

1 h ahead of Mestre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,377

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mestre Athens 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mestre
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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

Mestre vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Mestre. 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 57% higher in Mestre, 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: $826 in Mestre 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 $89.0 in Mestre. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Mestre versus $1,775 in Athens – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,794 in Mestre, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Mestre. 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, Mestre 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 1% less than in Mestre. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.