Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Etienne and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,436 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,436 in Saint-Etienne versus $1,759 in Athens.

Saint-Etienne $1,436
Athens $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,264 in Saint-Etienne versus $2,696 in Athens.

Saint-Etienne $2,264
Athens $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,092 in Saint-Etienne versus $3,632 in Athens.

Saint-Etienne $3,092
Athens $3,632

Living in Saint-Etienne costs roughly 18% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint-Etienne 6% above, Athens 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.88

$17.05 €15.31

-2.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 €50.9

$65.8 €59.1

-13.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.16

$10.96 €9.84

23.54%

Cappuccino

$2.07 €1.86

$4.10 €3.69

-49.51%

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

$3.42 €3.07

$2.83 €2.54

20.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.53

$0.59 €0.53

188.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.55

$5.62 €5.05

-9.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.16

$5.67 €5.09

1.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.90 €1.70

-32.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.46 €1.31

-24.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.71 €2.43

-22.88%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.74

$5.04 €4.53

-39.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.28

$15.08 €13.54

12.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 €10.03

$10.28 €9.23

8.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 €14.68

$19.40 €17.42

-15.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.94

$2.12 €1.91

54.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.91 €1.71

32.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.41 €1.26

73.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.13 €1.91

27.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.04 €0.94

50.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.13 €1.02

53.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.13 €1.01

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.81 €0.73

183.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.15 €10.91

$5.52 €4.96

120.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 €9.11

$9.99 €8.97

1.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.99

$2.04 €1.83

62.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.93

$2.28 €2.05

42.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.31 €1.18

38.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.87 €35.82

$30.67 €27.55

30.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.54

$4.37 €3.93

-35.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.34 €2.10

-9.83%

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

$20.1K €18.0K

$28.3K €25.4K

-28.92%

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

$32.0K €28.7K

$26.8K €24.0K

19.47%

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

$164 €148

$200 €180

-17.78%

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

$29.01 €26.06

$25.17 €22.61

15.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 €17.11

$29.65 €26.64

-35.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 €26.82

$50.4 €45.31

-40.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.61 €5.94

$25.94 €23.30

-74.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.88

$10.52 €9.45

-5.99%

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

$996 €894

$576 €518

72.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.2K

$12.9K €11.6K

22.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 €64.8

$89.7 €80.6

-19.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.47 €27.37

$39.57 €35.55

-23.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$105 €94.7

-2.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$124 €111

21.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$740 €665

-30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 €332

$643 €577

-42.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 €785

$1,305 €1,172

-33.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 €643

$1,121 €1,007

-36.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,677 €1,506

$4,011 €3,603

-58.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,619 €1,454

$3,284 €2,950

-50.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,255 €2,026

$1,224 €1,099

84.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

4.48

-18.08%

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

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 25, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8%

Athens

$643 36.5% 73.7% $273

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6%

Athens

$312 17.7% 7.9% $27

Eating Out

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8%

Athens

$272 15.4% 6.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8%

Athens

$255 14.5% 19.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2%

Athens

$161 9.2% 0.7% $1.1

Getting Around

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5%

Athens

$45 2.6% 9% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5%

Athens

$71 4.1% 44% $22

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 $515 in Saint-Etienne and $740 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint-Etienne pays 84% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57 in Saint-Etienne vs $66 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $339 vs $312, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h ahead of Saint-Etienne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,718

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Saint-Etienne Athens 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Etienne
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

Saint-Etienne vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint-Etienne wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Saint-Etienne the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 84% higher in Saint-Etienne, 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: $515 in Saint-Etienne versus $740 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint-Etienne – a meal for two runs $57 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,436 per month in Saint-Etienne versus $1,759 in Athens – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.