Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mortsel and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $2,130 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,130

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,130 in Mortsel versus $1,771 in Athens.

Mortsel $2,130
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,214 in Mortsel versus $2,736 in Athens.

Mortsel $3,214
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,298 in Mortsel versus $3,701 in Athens.

Mortsel $4,298
Athens $3,701

Living in Mortsel is roughly 20% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mortsel 57% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.53

$16.83 €14.97

30.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 €94.6

$68.2 €60.7

55.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.80

$11.43 €10.17

16.01%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.77

$4.06 €3.61

4.43%

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

$3.38 €3.01

$2.74 €2.44

23.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.60

$0.53 €0.47

450.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 €4.74

$5.69 €5.06

-6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.68 €5.06

-1.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.85 €1.64

-27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.44 €1.28

90.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.82 €2.51

-23.40%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.55

$4.86 €4.32

-17.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.39 €15.47

$15.27 €13.58

13.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.95 €10.63

$10.36 €9.21

15.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.09 €20.54

$19.10 €16.99

20.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$2.22 €1.98

24.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.92 €1.71

21.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.41 €1.25

87.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.04 €1.82

39.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.05 €0.93

105.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.17 €1.04

60.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.08 €0.96

25.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.84 €0.75

20.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.18 €11.72

$5.49 €4.89

140.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.79 €7.82

$10.17 €9.05

-13.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.13 €1.90

-8.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.28 €2.03

-0.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 €2.69

$1.37 €1.22

120.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 €52.5

$29.71 €26.43

98.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 €4.95

$4.39 €3.90

26.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.00 €0.89

173.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.72 €21.98

$16.63 €14.79

48.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.38 €2.11

-13.87%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$28.4K €25.3K

24.99%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$27.2K €24.2K

23.36%

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

$221 €197

$203 €181

8.88%

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

$20.75 €18.46

$26.79 €23.83

-22.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.34 €41.22

$30.16 €26.82

53.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.60 €31.66

$53.7 €47.74

-33.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.83 €17.64

$26.40 €23.48

-24.89%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 €13.42

$10.59 €9.42

42.49%

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

$565 €502

$566 €504

-0.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K €18.7K

$12.9K €11.4K

63.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.0

$89.1 €79.3

23.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.79 €42.51

$40.48 €36.01

18.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.7

$104 €92.3

0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €132

$124 €111

19.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €813

$729 €648

25.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 €722

$647 €576

25.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 €1,251

$1,328 €1,181

5.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 €1,062

$1,169 €1,040

2.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,134 €3,677

$4,024 €3,579

2.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,946 €2,620

$3,483 €3,098

-15.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,323 €2,066

$1,240 €1,103

87.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.48

-22.77%

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

Last update for Mortsel: October 17, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mortsel

$812 38.1%

Athens

$647 36.5% 20.3% $165

Groceries & Markets

Mortsel

$359 16.9%

Athens

$312 17.6% 13% $47

Eating Out

Mortsel

$329 15.5%

Athens

$271 15.3% 17.8% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mortsel

$289 13.6%

Athens

$260 14.7% 9.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Mortsel

$185 8.7%

Athens

$161 9.1% 12.8% $24

Getting Around

Mortsel

$90 4.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 50.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Mortsel

$66 3.1%

Athens

$75 4.2% 13.8% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $914 in Mortsel and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mortsel pays 87% 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: $106 in Mortsel vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $312 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

23:22 11:22 PM

1 h ahead of Mortsel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,525

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

Mortsel Athens 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Mortsel vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Mortsel. 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 87% higher in Mortsel, 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: $914 in Mortsel versus $729 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 $106 in Mortsel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,130 per month in Mortsel versus $1,771 in Athens – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $2,130 in Mortsel, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Mortsel. 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 $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mortsel 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 20% less than in Mortsel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.