Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Parma and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Parma and in Athens: $1,858 and $1,775 a month, rent and utilities included.

91

Cost of Living Index in Parma
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Parma Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Parma

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,858

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,858 in Parma versus $1,775 in Athens.

Parma $1,858
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,922 in Parma versus $2,721 in Athens.

Parma $2,922
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,986 in Parma versus $3,666 in Athens.

Parma $3,986
Athens $3,666

Living in Parma is roughly 5% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Parma 38% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 €17.72

$16.69 €14.84

19.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 €64.5

$67.8 €60.3

6.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.65 €12.14

$11.14 €9.91

22.53%

Cappuccino

$2.24 €1.99

$4.03 €3.58

-44.42%

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

$3.40 €3.02

$2.77 €2.46

22.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.55 €0.49

194.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 €5.50

$5.74 €5.10

7.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 €5.34

$5.45 €4.85

10.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.82 €1.62

-24.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.38 €1.23

96.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.80 €2.49

-5.36%

Eggs

$4.28 €3.81

$4.83 €4.30

-11.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.34 €16.32

$15.05 €13.39

21.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.85 €11.43

$10.63 €9.45

20.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$18.43 €16.39

-7.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.20 €1.96

2.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.90 €1.69

-12.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.37 €1.22

35.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.10 €1.87

17.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.08 €0.96

23.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.12 €1.00

23.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.45

$1.12 €1.00

46.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.88 €0.79

-38.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 €6.03

$5.48 €4.88

23.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.71 €6.86

$10.13 €9.01

-23.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.13 €1.89

-26.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.70

$2.25 €2.00

-14.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.36 €1.21

36.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.06 €36.52

$29.89 €26.59

37.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 €5.05

$4.45 €3.96

27.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.02 €0.90

45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.28 €25.15

$16.92 €15.05

67.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.25 €2.00

-13.33%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$28.0K €24.9K

28.82%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$28.2K €25.1K

25.21%

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

$236 €210

$205 €182

15.26%

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

$11.61 €10.33

$26.65 €23.71

-56.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 €24.50

$30.38 €27.02

-9.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 €55.2

$54.5 €48.47

13.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.85 €23.88

$25.88 €23.02

3.75%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 €10.94

$10.42 €9.27

18.04%

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

$560 €498

$569 €506

-1.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,443 €3,952

$12.6K €11.2K

-64.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 €80.8

$88.7 €78.9

2.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.60 €38.78

$40.46 €35.99

7.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.6 €85.1

$105 €93.3

-8.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$121 €108

36.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 €750

$741 €659

13.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 €569

$655 €582

-2.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,349

$1,300 €1,156

16.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 €1,121

$1,148 €1,021

9.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,439 €3,059

$4,014 €3,570

-14.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,380 €2,117

$3,460 €3,078

-31.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,034 €1,809

$1,242 €1,105

63.73%

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 Parma: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Parma

$639 34.4%

Athens

$655 36.9% 2.4% $15

Groceries & Markets

Parma

$327 17.6%

Athens

$310 17.5% 5.1% $17

Eating Out

Parma

$290 15.6%

Athens

$268 15.1% 7.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Parma

$275 14.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 4.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Parma

$178 9.6%

Athens

$160 9% 10.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Parma

$87 4.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 13% $11

Getting Around

Parma

$62 3.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 27% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $843 in Parma and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Parma pays 64% 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 Parma vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Parma

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

1 h ahead of Parma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,315

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

Parma Athens 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Parma
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

Parma vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Parma. 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 64% higher in Parma, 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: $843 in Parma 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 Parma. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,858 per month in Parma versus $1,775 in Athens – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,858 in Parma, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Parma. 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, Parma 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 5% less than in Parma. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.