Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montpellier and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $1,939 in Montpellier, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
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Montpellier Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,939

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,939 in Montpellier versus $1,806 in Athens.

Montpellier $1,939
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,940 in Montpellier versus $2,731 in Athens.

Montpellier $2,940
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,942 in Montpellier versus $3,656 in Athens.

Montpellier $3,942
Athens $3,656

Living in Montpellier is roughly 7% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montpellier 45% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.96

$16.66 €14.87

0.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.2

$66.2 €59.1

10.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.47 €13.80

$11.06 €9.87

39.87%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.19

$4.14 €3.69

-13.53%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$2.80 €2.50

7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.57 €0.51

245.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 €4.93

$5.64 €5.03

-2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.06

$5.46 €4.87

-16.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.96 €1.75

-31.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.41 €1.26

58.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 €2.44

$2.83 €2.53

-3.53%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.31

$5.04 €4.50

-26.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.80 €16.78

$15.35 €13.70

22.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.88 €12.39

$10.34 €9.23

34.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.64 €21.99

$18.97 €16.93

29.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.17 €1.93

37.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.91 €1.70

24.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 €2.63

$1.38 €1.23

113.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 €3.57

$2.20 €1.96

81.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.10 €0.98

111.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$1.13 €1.00

153.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.10 €0.99

56.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$0.83 €0.74

-21.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.21 €12.68

$5.60 €4.99

153.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.94

$10.19 €9.09

-23.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.73 €3.33

$2.18 €1.95

71.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.45 €2.19

15.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.38 €1.23

45.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.09 €0.97

$30.87 €27.55

-96.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 €4.39

$4.37 €3.90

12.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.04 €0.93

56.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.02 €29.47

$17.11 €15.27

92.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.31 €2.07

-7.79%

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

$35.2K €31.4K

$28.0K €25.0K

25.78%

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

$35.3K €31.5K

$28.0K €25.0K

26.11%

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

$218 €195

$210 €187

3.95%

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

$16.47 €14.70

$26.70 €23.83

-38.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.00 €28.56

$30.13 €26.89

6.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.67 €30.94

$54.6 €48.72

-36.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.29 €12.75

$26.03 €23.23

-45.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 €12.73

$10.78 €9.62

32.28%

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

$756 €674

$575 €513

31.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.7K

$13.1K €11.7K

0.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 €80.6

$93.2 €83.1

-3.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 €58.6

$40.68 €36.30

61.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$104 €92.9

1.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 €158

$128 €115

38.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$912 €814

$756 €674

20.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 €649

$652 €582

11.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,546 €1,380

$1,294 €1,154

19.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,026

$1,163 €1,038

-1.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,064 €4,519

$4,008 €3,577

26.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,268

$3,452 €3,081

6.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,743 €2,447

$1,243 €1,110

120.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

4.48

-14.96%

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

Last update for Montpellier: October 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montpellier

$728 37.4%

Athens

$652 36.5% 10.3% $75

Groceries & Markets

Montpellier

$389 20%

Athens

$315 17.6% 19.2% $75

Eating Out

Montpellier

$280 14.4%

Athens

$269 15% 4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montpellier

$267 13.7%

Athens

$267 14.9% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Montpellier

$198 10.2%

Athens

$165 9.2% 16.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Montpellier

$63 3.3%

Athens

$76 4.3% 20.5% $13

Getting Around

Montpellier

$22 1.1%

Athens

$46 2.6% 107% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $912 in Montpellier and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montpellier pays 121% 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: $73.0 in Montpellier vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

1 h ahead of Montpellier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,454

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

Montpellier Athens 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Montpellier
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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

Montpellier vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Montpellier. 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 121% higher in Montpellier, 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: $912 in Montpellier versus $756 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 $66.0 versus $73.0 in Montpellier. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,939 per month in Montpellier versus $1,806 in Athens – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $1,939 in Montpellier, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Montpellier. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montpellier 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 7% less than in Montpellier. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.