Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rethymno and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,358 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,358 in Rethymno versus $1,759 in Athens.

Rethymno $1,358
Athens $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in Rethymno versus $2,696 in Athens.

Rethymno $2,031
Athens $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,703 in Rethymno versus $3,632 in Athens.

Rethymno $2,703
Athens $3,632

Living in Rethymno costs roughly 23% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.69 €11.40

$17.05 €15.31

-25.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €50.4

$65.8 €59.1

-14.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 €9.21

$10.96 €9.84

-6.48%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.18

$4.10 €3.69

-13.66%

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

$1.67 €1.50

$2.83 €2.54

-40.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$0.59 €0.53

-1.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.08

$5.62 €5.05

-19.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 €4.71

$5.67 €5.09

-7.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.90 €1.70

-16.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.46 €1.31

-17.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.71 €2.43

-16.61%

Eggs

$4.48 €4.02

$5.04 €4.53

-11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.17 €13.63

$15.08 €13.54

0.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 €8.69

$10.28 €9.23

-5.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.43 €13.86

$19.40 €17.42

-20.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.12 €1.91

-6.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.91 €1.71

4.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.41 €1.26

-12.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.53

$2.13 €1.91

-20.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.04 €0.94

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.13 €1.02

-10.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.13 €1.01

-38.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.81 €0.73

-8.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 €3.94

$5.52 €4.96

-20.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.19

$9.99 €8.97

-31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.63

$2.04 €1.83

-11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.28 €2.05

-20.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.31 €1.18

38.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.11

$4.37 €3.93

4.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.03 €0.92

10.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.38 €10.22

$17.05 €15.32

-33.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.34 €2.10

-5.56%

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

$22.4K €20.1K

$28.3K €25.4K

-20.71%

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

$24.5K €22.0K

$26.8K €24.0K

-8.39%

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

$191 €171

$200 €180

-4.57%

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

$18.37 €16.50

$25.17 €22.61

-27.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.03 €27.88

$29.65 €26.64

4.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 €54.9

$50.4 €45.31

21.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 €7.60

$10.52 €9.45

-19.58%

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

$366 €329

$576 €518

-36.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,964 €3,561

$12.9K €11.6K

-69.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €79.2

$89.7 €80.6

-1.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.04 €9.91

$39.57 €35.55

-72.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.52 €39.99

$105 €94.7

-57.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.41 €39.90

$124 €111

-64.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 €492

$740 €665

-26.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 €401

$643 €577

-30.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 €820

$1,305 €1,172

-30.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 €629

$1,121 €1,007

-37.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,172 €3,748

$4,011 €3,603

4.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,963 €2,662

$3,284 €2,950

-9.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,201 €1,079

$1,224 €1,099

-1.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

4.48

-4.02%

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

Last update for Rethymno: October 26, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rethymno

$447 32.9%

Athens

$643 36.5% 43.8% $196

Groceries & Markets

Rethymno

$273 20.1%

Athens

$312 17.7% 14.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rethymno

$240 17.7%

Athens

$255 14.5% 6.1% $15

Eating Out

Rethymno

$217 16%

Athens

$272 15.4% 25.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Rethymno

$85 6.2%

Athens

$161 9.2% 90.5% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Rethymno

$78 5.8%

Athens

$71 4.1% 8.5% $6.6

Getting Around

Rethymno

$18 * 1.3%

Athens

$45 2.6% 159% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $548 in Rethymno and $740 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Rethymno vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $312 per month, with Rethymno cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

Same time as Rethymno

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,763

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Rethymno vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rethymno wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rethymno the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,037 in Rethymno and $2,639 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $548 in Rethymno versus $740 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $366 in Rethymno versus $576 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rethymno – a meal for two runs $56 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,358 in Rethymno versus $1,759 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rethymno but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Rethymno the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Rethymno and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.