Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset West and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,162 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
Learn more

Somerset West Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,162

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,162 in Somerset West versus $1,775 in Athens.

Somerset West $1,162
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,890 in Somerset West versus $2,721 in Athens.

Somerset West $1,890
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,618 in Somerset West versus $3,666 in Athens.

Somerset West $2,618
Athens $3,666

Living in Somerset West costs roughly 35% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Somerset West is 14% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.86 R 195

$16.69 €14.84

-28.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.93 R 757

$67.8 €60.3

-32.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 R 89.3

$11.14 €9.91

-51.35%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 35.82

$4.03 €3.58

-46.15%

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

$1.03 R 16.99

$2.77 €2.46

-62.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.02

$0.55 €0.49

65.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 R 41.47

$5.74 €5.10

-56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 R 54.6

$5.45 €4.85

-39.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R 15.56

$1.82 €1.62

-48.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.43

$1.38 €1.23

-27.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.91

$2.80 €2.49

-26.43%

Eggs

$2.27 R 37.42

$4.83 €4.30

-53.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 R 142

$15.05 €13.39

-42.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 R 86.6

$10.63 €9.45

-50.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.52 R 157

$18.43 €16.39

-48.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.28

$2.20 €1.96

-16.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.24

$1.90 €1.69

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.83

$1.37 €1.22

23.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.62

$2.10 €1.87

-17.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.30

$1.08 €0.96

42.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.30

$1.12 €1.00

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.21

$1.12 €1.00

15.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.92

$0.88 €0.79

23.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 R 54.0

$5.48 €4.88

-40.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 R 98.5

$10.13 €9.01

-40.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$2.13 €1.89

-37.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 28.95

$2.25 €2.00

-21.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 R 18.52

$1.36 €1.21

-17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 R 979

$29.89 €26.59

98.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.56

$4.45 €3.96

-86.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.35

$1.02 €0.90

45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 R 83.7

$16.92 €15.05

-69.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.49

$2.25 €2.00

-36.44%

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

$28.8K R 474.1K

$28.0K €24.9K

2.67%

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

$30.0K R 494.4K

$28.2K €25.1K

6.31%

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

$85.2 R 1,404

$205 €182

-58.36%

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

$28.77 R 474

$26.65 €23.71

7.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.92 R 674

$30.38 €27.02

34.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.25 R 745

$54.5 €48.47

-16.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.76 R 177

$25.88 €23.02

-58.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 R 118

$10.42 €9.27

-31.00%

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

$261 R 4,308

$569 €506

-54.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,633 R 59.9K

$12.6K €11.2K

-71.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.84 R 508

$88.7 €78.9

-65.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.76 R 523

$40.46 €35.99

-21.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 R 1,161

$105 €93.3

-32.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 R 930

$121 €108

-53.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$637 R 10.5K

$741 €659

-14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 R 6,997

$655 €582

-35.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 R 22.4K

$1,300 €1,156

4.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$1,148 €1,021

-18.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,227 R 20.2K

$4,014 €3,570

-69.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$907 R 14.9K

$3,460 €3,078

-73.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,427 R 23.5K

$1,242 €1,105

14.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

4.48

125.89%

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

Last update for Somerset West: October 10, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Somerset West

$425 36.5%

Athens

$655 36.9% 54.1% $230

Groceries & Markets

Somerset West

$202 17.4%

Athens

$310 17.5% 54% $109

Eating Out

Somerset West

$164 14.1%

Athens

$268 15.1% 63.2% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset West

$155 13.3%

Athens

$262 14.7% 68.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset West

$85 7.3%

Athens

$160 9% 87.5% $75

Getting Around

Somerset West

$72 6.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 37.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset West

$60 5.1%

Athens

$75 4.2% 26.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $637 in Somerset West and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Somerset West pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Somerset West vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $310 per month, with Somerset West cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

14:03 2:03 PM

1 h ahead of Somerset West

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,166

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Somerset West Athens 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerset West
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

Somerset West vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Somerset West wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Somerset West the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Somerset West, 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: $637 in Somerset West versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Somerset West – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,162 per month in Somerset West versus $1,775 in Athens – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,162 in Somerset West versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Somerset West but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Somerset West the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Somerset West delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,162 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Somerset West hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Somerset West 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 Somerset West gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.