Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roubaix and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Roubaix: $1,656 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Roubaix
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Roubaix Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Roubaix

🇫🇷 France

$1,656

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Roubaix versus $1,771 in Athens.

Roubaix $1,656
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,580 in Roubaix versus $2,736 in Athens.

Roubaix $2,580
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,505 in Roubaix versus $3,701 in Athens.

Roubaix $3,505
Athens $3,701

Living in Roubaix costs roughly 7% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Roubaix 22% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.16

$16.83 €14.97

7.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 €65.8

$68.2 €60.7

8.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.11

$11.43 €10.17

19.16%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.41

$4.06 €3.61

-5.67%

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

$3.19 €2.84

$2.74 €2.44

16.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.53 €0.47

209.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 €6.75

$5.69 €5.06

33.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.68 €5.06

-0.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.85 €1.64

-38.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.44 €1.28

10.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

Eggs

$2.04 €1.81

$4.86 €4.32

-58.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 €11.30

$15.27 €13.58

-16.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 €8.01

$10.36 €9.21

-13.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 €11.64

$19.10 €16.99

-31.52%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 €0.88

$2.22 €1.98

-55.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.92 €1.71

-42.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.41 €1.25

55.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.04 €1.82

32.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 €0.67

$1.05 €0.93

-27.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.17 €1.04

-21.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.08 €0.96

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 €0.19

$0.84 €0.75

-73.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 €10.37

$5.49 €4.89

112.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.48 €7.55

$10.17 €9.05

-16.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.10

$2.13 €1.90

11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.28 €2.03

87.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.37 €1.22

41.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.11 €42.80

$29.71 €26.43

61.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$4.39 €3.90

-49.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.00 €0.89

115.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.07 €21.41

$16.63 €14.79

44.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.38 €2.11

-13.03%

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

$28.3K €25.1K

$28.4K €25.3K

-0.45%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$27.2K €24.2K

1.68%

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

$176 €157

$203 €181

-13.24%

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

$15.18 €13.50

$26.79 €23.83

-43.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.56 €27.18

$30.16 €26.82

1.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.62 €31.68

$53.7 €47.74

-33.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 €9.76

$10.59 €9.42

3.59%

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

$629 €560

$566 €504

11.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,319 €7,399

$12.9K €11.4K

-35.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.4

$89.1 €79.3

-2.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 €35.76

$40.48 €36.01

-0.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.5

$104 €92.3

-3.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.1

$124 €111

-17.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €672

$729 €648

3.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 €537

$647 €576

-6.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 €1,209

$1,328 €1,181

2.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 €1,007

$1,169 €1,040

-3.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,519

$4,024 €3,579

-1.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,007 €2,675

$3,483 €3,098

-13.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,761 €1,566

$1,240 €1,103

41.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

4.48

-12.50%

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

Last update for Roubaix: October 18, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roubaix

$604 36.5%

Athens

$647 36.5% 7.2% $43

Eating Out

Roubaix

$301 18.2%

Athens

$271 15.3% 10% $30

Groceries & Markets

Roubaix

$254 15.3%

Athens

$312 17.6% 23.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roubaix

$222 13.4%

Athens

$260 14.7% 17.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Roubaix

$149 9%

Athens

$161 9.1% 8.3% $12

Getting Around

Roubaix

$69 4.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 35.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Roubaix

$58 3.5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 30.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Roubaix and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roubaix pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74.0 in Roubaix vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $312, with Roubaix cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Roubaix

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

20:03 8:03 PM

1 h ahead of Roubaix

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,892

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Roubaix Athens 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Roubaix vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roubaix wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Roubaix the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Roubaix, 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: $756 in Roubaix versus $729 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Roubaix – a meal for two runs $74.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,656 per month in Roubaix versus $1,771 in Athens – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,656 in Roubaix versus $1,771 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Roubaix but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Roubaix the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Roubaix delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,656 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Roubaix hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Roubaix 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 Roubaix gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.