Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soest and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $1,925 in Soest, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Soest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Soest
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Soest Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Soest

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,925

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,925 in Soest versus $1,759 in Athens.

Soest $1,925
Athens $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,869 in Soest versus $2,696 in Athens.

Soest $2,869
Athens $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in Soest versus $3,632 in Athens.

Soest $3,812
Athens $3,632

Living in Soest is roughly 9% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Soest 41% above, Athens 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.52 €12.15

$17.05 €15.32

-20.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.2

$65.8 €59.2

3.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.13

$10.96 €9.84

2.92%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.10 €3.69

-27.56%

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

$2.19 €1.97

$2.83 €2.54

-22.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.02

$0.59 €0.53

281.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 €3.17

$5.62 €5.05

-37.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.06

$5.67 €5.09

-59.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.90 €1.70

-31.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.46 €1.31

21.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 €3.55

$2.71 €2.43

45.76%

Eggs

$3.38 €3.04

$5.04 €4.53

-32.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 €12.82

$15.08 €13.55

-5.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 €10.58

$10.28 €9.23

14.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.18 €16.34

$19.40 €17.43

-6.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.34

$2.12 €1.91

22.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.91 €1.72

3.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.41 €1.26

48.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.13 €1.91

6.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.04 €0.94

28.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.13 €1.02

8.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.13 €1.01

39.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.92

$0.81 €0.73

25.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.38 €8.43

$5.52 €4.96

69.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 €5.46

$9.99 €8.98

-39.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$2.04 €1.83

-56.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.28 €2.05

-35.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.41 €3.06

$1.31 €1.18

160.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 €54.5

$30.67 €27.56

97.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 €3.45

$4.37 €3.93

-12.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.03 €0.92

155.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.48 €30.08

$17.05 €15.32

96.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.34 €2.11

-12.39%

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

$30.1K €27.1K

$28.3K €25.4K

6.60%

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

$38.5K €34.6K

$26.8K €24.0K

43.85%

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

$377 €339

$200 €180

88.66%

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

$16.99 €15.27

$25.17 €22.62

-32.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.10 €38.72

$29.65 €26.64

45.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.92 €25.08

$50.4 €45.32

-44.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.12 €27.07

$25.94 €23.30

16.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.52

$10.52 €9.46

0.76%

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

$467 €420

$576 €518

-18.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.3K

$12.9K €11.6K

32.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$128 €115

$89.7 €80.6

42.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.35 €29.97

$39.57 €35.55

-15.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €106

$105 €94.7

11.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €110

$124 €111

-1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 €997

$740 €665

49.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 €578

$643 €578

0.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 €1,309

$1,305 €1,172

11.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 €1,026

$1,121 €1,007

1.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,354 €3,912

$4,011 €3,604

8.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,673 €3,300

$3,284 €2,951

11.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.48

-11.61%

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

Last update for Soest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Soest

$644 33.4%

Athens

$643 36.5% 0.1% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Soest

$437 22.7%

Athens

$255 14.5% 41.7% $182

Groceries & Markets

Soest

$305 15.9%

Athens

$312 17.7% 2.2% $6.6

Eating Out

Soest

$218 11.3%

Athens

$272 15.4% 24.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Soest

$181 9.4%

Athens

$161 9.2% 10.7% $19

Getting Around

Soest

$91 4.7%

Athens

$45 2.6% 50.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Soest

$49 2.6%

Athens

$71 4.1% 45.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Soest and $740 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Soest vs $66 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $312, with Soest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Soest

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

14:56 2:56 PM

1 h ahead of Soest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,460

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Soest Athens 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Soest
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

Soest vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Soest. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,887 in Soest 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: $1,109 in Soest versus $740 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $467 in Soest 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 Athens – a meal for two runs $66 versus $68 in Soest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Soest 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.