Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rijeka and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Rijeka: $1,611 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Rijeka
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Rijeka Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Rijeka

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,611

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,611 in Rijeka versus $1,806 in Athens.

Rijeka $1,611
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,416 in Rijeka versus $2,731 in Athens.

Rijeka $2,416
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,222 in Rijeka versus $3,656 in Athens.

Rijeka $3,222
Athens $3,656

Living in Rijeka costs roughly 11% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rijeka 20% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.30 €11.87

$16.66 €14.87

-20.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.3 €65.4

$66.2 €59.1

10.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.86

$11.06 €9.87

-10.31%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.01

$4.14 €3.69

-45.65%

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

$3.11 €2.77

$2.80 €2.50

11.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.57 €0.51

231.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 €3.38

$5.64 €5.03

-32.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.94

$5.46 €4.87

-19.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.96 €1.75

-36.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.41 €1.26

14.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.35 €2.99

$2.83 €2.53

18.37%

Eggs

$3.79 €3.38

$5.04 €4.50

-24.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.85 €14.14

$15.35 €13.70

3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.06 €8.97

$10.34 €9.23

-2.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 €12.93

$18.97 €16.93

-23.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.17 €1.93

-20.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.91 €1.70

-8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.38 €1.23

32.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.20 €1.96

16.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.10 €0.98

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.13 €1.00

15.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.10 €0.99

24.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.83 €0.74

63.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.72 €5.10

$5.60 €4.99

2.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 €7.11

$10.19 €9.09

-21.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.18 €1.95

-26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.45 €2.19

-13.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.38 €1.23

64.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.7 €48.80

$30.87 €27.55

77.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 €4.90

$4.37 €3.90

25.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.04 €0.93

44.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.38 €25.32

$17.11 €15.27

65.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.31 €2.07

-16.45%

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

$25.9K €23.1K

$28.0K €25.0K

-7.60%

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

$24.6K €22.0K

$28.0K €25.0K

-12.10%

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

$187 €167

$210 €187

-10.83%

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

$24.40 €21.78

$26.70 €23.83

-8.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.54 €35.28

$30.13 €26.89

31.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.4 €47.69

$54.6 €48.72

-2.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 €9.93

$26.03 €23.23

-57.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 €5.97

$10.78 €9.62

-37.94%

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

$550 €491

$575 €513

-4.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K €11.3K

$13.1K €11.7K

-3.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €89.8

$93.2 €83.1

7.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.30 €37.75

$40.68 €36.30

3.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$104 €92.9

-2.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €97.8

$128 €115

-14.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 €624

$756 €674

-7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 €487

$652 €582

-16.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 €1,083

$1,294 €1,154

-6.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 €767

$1,163 €1,038

-26.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,081 €3,642

$4,008 €3,577

1.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,925 €3,503

$3,452 €3,081

13.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,509 €1,347

$1,243 €1,110

21.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

4.48

-16.74%

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

Last update for Rijeka: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rijeka

$546 34%

Athens

$652 36.5% 19.4% $106

Groceries & Markets

Rijeka

$294 18.3%

Athens

$315 17.6% 7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rijeka

$251 15.6%

Athens

$267 14.9% 6.2% $16

Eating Out

Rijeka

$211 13.1%

Athens

$269 15% 27.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Rijeka

$159 9.9%

Athens

$165 9.2% 3.4% $5.4

Getting Around

Rijeka

$77 4.8%

Athens

$46 2.6% 40.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Rijeka

$67 4.2%

Athens

$76 4.3% 14% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Rijeka and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rijeka pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Rijeka vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $315, with Rijeka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Rijeka

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h ahead of Rijeka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,964

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 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

Rijeka vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rijeka wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rijeka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Rijeka, 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: $699 in Rijeka versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rijeka – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,611 per month in Rijeka versus $1,806 in Athens – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,611 in Rijeka versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rijeka but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Rijeka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rijeka delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,611 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rijeka hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rijeka 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 Rijeka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.