Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostend and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Ostend and in Athens: $1,810 and $1,775 a month, rent and utilities included.

88

Cost of Living Index in Ostend
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Ostend Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Ostend

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,810

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,810 in Ostend versus $1,775 in Athens.

Ostend $1,810
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,702 in Ostend versus $2,721 in Athens.

Ostend $2,702
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,595 in Ostend versus $3,666 in Athens.

Ostend $3,595
Athens $3,666

Living in Ostend is roughly 2% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ostend 34% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.72

$16.69 €14.89

32.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.6

$67.8 €60.5

16.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 €9.98

$11.14 €9.94

0.36%

Cappuccino

$4.09 €3.65

$4.03 €3.60

1.49%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.77 €2.47

8.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.25

$0.55 €0.49

358.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.40 €3.93

$5.74 €5.12

-23.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €4.00

$5.45 €4.86

-17.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.82 €1.63

-33.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.38 €1.23

94.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.80 €2.50

-25.71%

Eggs

$3.73 €3.33

$4.83 €4.31

-22.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 €10.43

$15.05 €13.44

-22.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 €10.50

$10.63 €9.48

10.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 €12.01

$18.43 €16.44

-26.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.20 €1.96

28.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.90 €1.69

12.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.37 €1.22

56.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.10 €1.87

10.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.08 €0.97

70.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.12 €1.00

52.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.12 €1.00

8.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$0.88 €0.79

4.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.12 €9.04

$5.48 €4.89

84.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 €6.12

$10.13 €9.04

-32.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.13 €1.90

-1.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.25 €2.01

-18.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.36 €1.22

149.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.31 €34.19

$29.89 €26.68

28.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 €3.01

$4.45 €3.97

-24.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.02 €0.91

124.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 €22.34

$16.92 €15.10

47.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.25 €2.00

-13.33%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$28.0K €25.0K

23.26%

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

$30.6K €27.3K

$28.2K €25.2K

8.30%

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

$176 €157

$205 €183

-14.19%

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

$18.08 €16.13

$26.65 €23.79

-32.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 €47.39

$30.38 €27.12

74.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.39 €32.47

$54.5 €48.63

-33.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.02 €9.84

$25.88 €23.10

-57.42%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 €12.81

$10.42 €9.30

37.81%

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

$391 €349

$569 €508

-31.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K €14.3K

$12.6K €11.2K

27.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.4 €88.7

$88.7 €79.1

12.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.26 €23.44

$40.46 €36.11

-35.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 €78.3

$105 €93.6

-16.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$121 €108

-0.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 €707

$741 €661

6.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €600

$655 €584

2.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 €1,112

$1,300 €1,160

-4.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 €881

$1,148 €1,024

-14.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,674 €3,279

$4,014 €3,582

-8.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,918 €1,712

$3,460 €3,088

-44.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,097 €2,764

$1,242 €1,109

149.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

4.48

-25.67%

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

Last update for Ostend: October 10, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostend

$673 37.1%

Athens

$655 36.9% 2.7% $18

Eating Out

Ostend

$312 17.3%

Athens

$268 15.1% 14.2% $44

Groceries & Markets

Ostend

$297 16.4%

Athens

$310 17.5% 4.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostend

$247 13.6%

Athens

$262 14.7% 6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Ostend

$150 8.3%

Athens

$160 9% 6.5% $9.7

Getting Around

Ostend

$67 3.7%

Athens

$45 2.5% 32.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Ostend

$65 3.6%

Athens

$75 4.2% 15.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $792 in Ostend and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ostend pays 149% 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: $79.0 in Ostend vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $310, with Ostend cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Ostend

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

1 h ahead of Ostend

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,600

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

Ostend Athens 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Ostend
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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

Ostend vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Ostend. 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 149% higher in Ostend, 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: $792 in Ostend 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 $79.0 in Ostend. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,810 per month in Ostend versus $1,775 in Athens – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,810 in Ostend, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Ostend. 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, Ostend 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 2% less than in Ostend. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.