Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $1,982 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rome outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,982

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,982 in Rome versus $1,806 in Athens.

Rome $1,982
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,148 in Rome versus $2,731 in Athens.

Rome $3,148
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,314 in Rome versus $3,656 in Athens.

Rome $4,314
Athens $3,656

Living in Rome is roughly 10% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 48% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 €15.05

$16.66 €14.85

1.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$66.2 €59.0

2.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.84

$11.06 €9.86

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$4.14 €3.69

-50.48%

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

$3.05 €2.72

$2.80 €2.50

8.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.57 €0.51

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.11

$5.64 €5.03

1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.12

$5.46 €4.86

25.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.96 €1.74

-12.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.41 €1.25

59.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 €2.77

$2.83 €2.53

9.54%

Eggs

$4.81 €4.29

$5.04 €4.49

-4.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$15.35 €13.68

-1.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.53 €11.18

$10.34 €9.22

21.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.82 €17.67

$18.97 €16.92

4.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.17 €1.93

22.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.91 €1.70

21.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.38 €1.23

77.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.20 €1.96

5.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.10 €0.98

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.13 €1.00

35.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.10 €0.98

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.47

$0.83 €0.74

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.40 €6.60

$5.60 €4.99

32.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.86

$10.19 €9.08

-46.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.18 €1.95

-24.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.45 €2.18

7.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.38 €1.23

25.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.99 €35.66

$30.87 €27.52

29.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.91 €6.16

$4.37 €3.90

58.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.04 €0.93

56.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 €30.48

$17.11 €15.26

99.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.31 €2.06

-7.36%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$28.0K €24.9K

25.55%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$28.0K €25.0K

22.82%

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

$209 €186

$210 €187

-0.57%

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

$11.57 €10.31

$26.70 €23.80

-56.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.42

$30.13 €26.86

5.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 €58.6

$54.6 €48.68

20.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.73 €21.15

$26.03 €23.21

-8.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 €9.98

$10.78 €9.61

3.90%

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

$483 €431

$575 €513

-15.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €15.1K

$13.1K €11.7K

29.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 €63.0

$93.2 €83.1

-24.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.68 €31.81

$40.68 €36.27

-12.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 €73.3

$104 €92.8

-20.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$128 €114

-4.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 €1,074

$756 €674

59.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 €795

$652 €582

36.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 €2,253

$1,294 €1,153

95.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 €1,504

$1,163 €1,037

45.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,407 €7,495

$4,008 €3,574

109.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,096 €2,760

$3,452 €3,078

-10.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,980 €1,766

$1,243 €1,109

59.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

4.48

-21.43%

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

Last update for Rome: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$892 44.2%

Athens

$652 36.5% 26.9% $240

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$331 16.4%

Athens

$315 17.6% 4.8% $16

Eating Out

Rome

$253 12.6%

Athens

$269 15% 6.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$252 12.5%

Athens

$267 14.9% 5.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$140 7%

Athens

$165 9.2% 17.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Athens

$76 4.3% 13.6% $12

Getting Around

Rome

$62 3.1%

Athens

$46 2.6% 25.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,205 in Rome and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rome pays 59% 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: $68.0 in Rome vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h ahead of Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

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

Rome Athens 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Rome vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Rome. 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 59% higher in Rome, 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: $1,205 in Rome versus $756 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 $66.0 versus $68.0 in Rome. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,982 per month in Rome versus $1,806 in Athens – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $1,982 in Rome, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Rome. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rome 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 10% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.