Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novo Mesto and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Novo Mesto: $1,493 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Novo Mesto
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Novo Mesto Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Novo Mesto

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,493

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,493 in Novo Mesto versus $1,775 in Athens.

Novo Mesto $1,493
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,180 in Novo Mesto versus $2,721 in Athens.

Novo Mesto $2,180
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,868 in Novo Mesto versus $3,666 in Athens.

Novo Mesto $2,868
Athens $3,666

Living in Novo Mesto costs roughly 16% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Novo Mesto 11% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.17 €9.94

$16.69 €14.84

-33.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.54 €29.83

$67.8 €60.3

-50.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 €7.81

$11.14 €9.91

-21.10%

Cappuccino

$1.82 €1.62

$4.03 €3.58

-54.84%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.77 €2.46

-17.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.55 €0.49

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 €2.76

$5.74 €5.10

-45.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.55

$5.45 €4.85

-47.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.82 €1.62

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.38 €1.23

31.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

Eggs

$3.94 €3.51

$4.83 €4.30

-18.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.48 €11.99

$15.05 €13.39

-10.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 €8.36

$10.63 €9.45

-11.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 €8.10

$18.43 €16.39

-50.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.20 €1.96

-24.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.90 €1.69

-7.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.37 €1.22

45.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 €2.98

$2.10 €1.87

59.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.08 €0.96

6.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.12 €1.00

34.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.12 €1.00

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.88 €0.79

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 €5.06

$5.48 €4.88

3.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 €5.83

$10.13 €9.01

-35.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.13 €1.89

-32.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.25 €2.00

-21.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.36 €1.21

3.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 €30.97

$29.89 €26.59

16.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 €1.46

$4.45 €3.96

-63.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.02 €0.90

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.93 €24.84

$16.92 €15.05

65.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.25 €2.00

-28.89%

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

$29.6K €26.3K

$28.0K €24.9K

5.42%

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

$24.7K €22.0K

$28.2K €25.1K

-12.43%

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

$292 €260

$205 €182

42.79%

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

$11.44 €10.17

$26.65 €23.71

-57.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.87 €34.58

$30.38 €27.02

27.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 €45.23

$54.5 €48.47

-6.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.61 €29.90

$25.88 €23.02

29.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.93 €7.05

$10.42 €9.27

-23.90%

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

$509 €452

$569 €506

-10.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$12.6K €11.2K

-9.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 €81.1

$88.7 €78.9

2.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.04 €33.84

$40.46 €35.99

-5.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$105 €93.3

15.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €128

$121 €108

18.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 €448

$741 €659

-32.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 €377

$655 €582

-35.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 €744

$1,300 €1,156

-35.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 €648

$1,148 €1,021

-36.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,809 €2,499

$4,014 €3,570

-30.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,235 €2,878

$3,460 €3,078

-6.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,458 €1,297

$1,242 €1,105

17.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

4.48

-26.56%

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

Last update for Novo Mesto: 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

Novo Mesto

$424 28.4%

Athens

$655 36.9% 54.6% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novo Mesto

$342 22.9%

Athens

$262 14.7% 23.6% $81

Groceries & Markets

Novo Mesto

$260 17.4%

Athens

$310 17.5% 19.3% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Novo Mesto

$178 11.9%

Athens

$160 9% 10% $18

Eating Out

Novo Mesto

$174 11.7%

Athens

$268 15.1% 53.9% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Novo Mesto

$67 4.5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 12.9% $8.6

Getting Around

Novo Mesto

$49 3.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 8.3% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $504 in Novo Mesto and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novo Mesto pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34.00 in Novo Mesto vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $310 per month, with Novo Mesto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Novo Mesto

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

1 h ahead of Novo Mesto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,200

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

Novo Mesto Athens 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Novo Mesto
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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

Novo Mesto vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novo Mesto wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Novo Mesto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Novo Mesto, 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: $504 in Novo Mesto versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Novo Mesto – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,493 per month in Novo Mesto versus $1,775 in Athens – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,493 in Novo Mesto versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Novo Mesto but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Novo Mesto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Novo Mesto delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,493 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Novo Mesto hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Novo Mesto 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 Novo Mesto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.