Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesbrough and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,089 in Middlesbrough, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Middlesbrough
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Middlesbrough Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Middlesbrough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,089

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,089 in Middlesbrough versus $1,775 in Athens.

Middlesbrough $2,089
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,001 in Middlesbrough versus $2,721 in Athens.

Middlesbrough $3,001
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,913 in Middlesbrough versus $3,666 in Athens.

Middlesbrough $3,913
Athens $3,666

Living in Middlesbrough is roughly 18% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Middlesbrough 55% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 £17.85

$16.69 €14.84

42.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 £54.4

$67.8 €60.3

6.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 £8.05

$11.14 €9.91

-3.68%

Cappuccino

$4.69 £3.52

$4.03 €3.58

16.38%

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

$2.41 £1.81

$2.77 €2.46

-13.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.55 €0.49

225.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 £3.53

$5.74 €5.10

-18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 £5.38

$5.45 €4.85

31.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.82 €1.62

-32.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.38 €1.23

2.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$2.80 €2.49

-12.50%

Eggs

$3.70 £2.77

$4.83 €4.30

-23.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 £5.76

$15.05 €13.39

-48.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.29 £5.47

$10.63 €9.45

-31.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 £10.81

$18.43 €16.39

-21.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 £1.86

$2.20 €1.96

12.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 £1.79

$1.90 €1.69

25.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 £1.93

$1.37 €1.22

87.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 £1.95

$2.10 €1.87

23.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 £1.34

$1.08 €0.96

64.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.12 €1.00

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.12 €1.00

3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.27

$0.88 €0.79

244.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.39 £16.79

$5.48 €4.88

308.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.42 £7.07

$10.13 €9.01

-7.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.43 £3.32

$2.13 €1.89

107.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 £2.76

$2.25 €2.00

63.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.53 £4.15

$1.36 €1.21

306.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.6 £69.5

$29.89 €26.59

209.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 £3.29

$4.45 €3.96

-1.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.94 £19.46

$16.92 €15.05

53.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$2.25 €2.00

-11.56%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$28.0K €24.9K

34.28%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$28.2K €25.1K

41.14%

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

$346 £260

$205 €182

69.26%

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

$16.93 £12.70

$26.65 €23.71

-36.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.87 £31.41

$30.38 €27.02

37.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.69 £37.28

$54.5 €48.47

-8.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.46 £24.35

$25.88 €23.02

25.43%

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 £10.83

$10.42 €9.27

38.48%

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

$795 £596

$569 €506

39.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.4K £30.3K

$12.6K €11.2K

221.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £79.8

$88.7 €78.9

19.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 £40.36

$40.46 €35.99

32.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 £82.7

$105 €93.3

5.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £78.2

$121 €108

-14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 £748

$741 €659

34.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 £513

$655 €582

4.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 £721

$1,300 €1,156

-26.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 £716

$1,148 €1,021

-16.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,303 £1,728

$1,242 €1,105

85.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.64

4.48

25.89%

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

Last update for Middlesbrough: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Middlesbrough

$683 32.7%

Athens

$655 36.9% 4.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middlesbrough

$405 19.4%

Athens

$262 14.7% 35.4% $143

Eating Out

Middlesbrough

$334 16%

Athens

$268 15.1% 19.6% $65

Groceries & Markets

Middlesbrough

$301 14.4%

Athens

$310 17.5% 3% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Middlesbrough

$169 8.1%

Athens

$160 9% 5.1% $8.7

Getting Around

Middlesbrough

$119 * 5.7%

Athens

$45 2.5% 62.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Middlesbrough

$79 3.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 4.1% $3.2

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 $997 in Middlesbrough and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middlesbrough pays 85% 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: $72.0 in Middlesbrough vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $301 vs $310, with Middlesbrough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Middlesbrough

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

04:31 4:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

2 h ahead of Middlesbrough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,000

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Middlesbrough Athens 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Middlesbrough
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

Middlesbrough vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Middlesbrough. 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 85% higher in Middlesbrough, 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: $997 in Middlesbrough 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 $72.0 in Middlesbrough. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,089 per month in Middlesbrough versus $1,775 in Athens – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,089 in Middlesbrough, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Middlesbrough. 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, Middlesbrough 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 18% less than in Middlesbrough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.