Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szombathely and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Szombathely: $1,231 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Szombathely
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,231
/mo nomad
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,775
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,231 in Szombathely versus $1,775 in Athens.

  • Szombathely $1,231
  • Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,949 in Szombathely versus $2,721 in Athens.

  • Szombathely $1,949
  • Athens $2,721

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

  • Szombathely $2,666
  • Athens $3,666

Living in Szombathely costs roughly 31% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Szombathely is 9% below, Athens is 31% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Szombathely
Athens
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.55 Ft 3,724
$16.69 €14.82
-30.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.4 Ft 17.2K
$67.8 €60.2
-21.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.89 Ft 2,866
$11.14 €9.89
-20.20%
Cappuccino
$2.37 Ft 763
$4.03 €3.58
-41.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 Ft 434
$2.77 €2.46
-51.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 Ft 413
$0.55 €0.48
132.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.72 Ft 555
$5.74 €5.09
-70.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 Ft 749
$5.45 €4.84
-57.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Szombathely
Athens
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 Ft 389
$1.82 €1.62
-33.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.57 Ft 508
$1.38 €1.22
13.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 763
$2.80 €2.49
-15.36%
Eggs
$3.14 Ft 1,014
$4.83 €4.29
-34.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.39 Ft 3,349
$15.05 €13.37
-30.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.55 Ft 2,111
$10.63 €9.44
-38.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.99 Ft 5,153
$18.43 €16.36
-13.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 Ft 716
$2.20 €1.95
0.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.04 Ft 658
$1.90 €1.68
7.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.52 Ft 813
$1.37 €1.22
83.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.38 Ft 1,089
$2.10 €1.86
60.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 Ft 349
$1.08 €0.96
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 Ft 450
$1.12 €1.00
24.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.88 Ft 605
$1.12 €1.00
67.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 Ft 175
$0.88 €0.79
-38.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.82 Ft 2,842
$5.48 €4.87
60.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.54 Ft 1,462
$10.13 €8.99
-55.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 Ft 390
$2.13 €1.89
-43.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 Ft 846
$2.25 €2.00
16.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Szombathely
Athens
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 Ft 284
$1.36 €1.21
-35.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.09 Ft 8,734
$29.89 €26.55
-9.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.68 Ft 865
$4.45 €3.95
-39.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 441
$1.02 €0.90
34.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.64 Ft 7,620
$16.92 €15.03
39.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.85 Ft 596
$2.25 €1.99
-17.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K Ft 9.3M
$28.0K €24.9K
2.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K Ft 10.8M
$28.2K €25.1K
18.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Szombathely
Athens
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$168 Ft 54.3K
$205 €182
-17.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.42 Ft 6,584
$26.65 €23.67
-23.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.92 Ft 6,744
$30.38 €26.98
-31.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Szombathely
Athens
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.96 Ft 15.1K
$54.5 €48.39
-13.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.68 Ft 6,666
$25.88 €22.98
-20.09%
Cinema Ticket
$4.65 Ft 1,500
$10.42 €9.25
-55.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Szombathely
Athens
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$423 Ft 136.2K
$569 €505
-25.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,637 Ft 2.5M
$12.6K €11.2K
-39.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Szombathely
Athens
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 Ft 33.0K
$88.7 €78.7
15.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.4 Ft 16.3K
$40.46 €35.93
24.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.9 Ft 31.2K
$105 €93.2
-7.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 Ft 35.8K
$121 €108
-8.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Szombathely
Athens
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$538 Ft 173.3K
$741 €658
-27.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$339 Ft 109.3K
$655 €581
-48.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$754 Ft 243.1K
$1,300 €1,154
-41.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$645 Ft 208.0K
$1,148 €1,019
-43.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,402 Ft 774.2K
$4,014 €3,565
-40.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,980 Ft 638.3K
$3,460 €3,073
-42.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Szombathely
Athens
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,175 Ft 378.9K
$1,242 €1,103
-5.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.5
4.48
67.41%

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

Last update for Szombathely: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Szombathely
$339
Athens
$655 93.1% $316
Groceries & Markets
Szombathely
$252
Athens
$310 23% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Szombathely
$210
Athens
$262 24.7% $52
Eating Out
Szombathely
$171
Athens
$268 56.5% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Szombathely
$162
Athens
$160 1.6% $2.5
Sport & Entertainment
Szombathely
$56
Athens
$75 33.9% $19
Getting Around
Szombathely
$40
Athens
$45 11.8% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $538 in Szombathely and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 6% 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: $53.0 in Szombathely vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $310 per month, with Szombathely cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Szombathely
🇬🇷 Athens
🕒 Local time
18:47 6:47 PM
19:47 7:47 PM
1 h ahead of Szombathely
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
77,757
3,090,508 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Szombathely Athens 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Szombathely
  • 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
Szombathely vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Szombathely or Athens?
Szombathely wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Szombathely the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Szombathely or in Athens?
On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Athens. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Szombathely compared to Athens?
Rent for a central apartment: $538 in Szombathely versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Szombathely and in Athens?
Dining out is cheaper in Szombathely – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Szombathely compared to Athens?
All in, you'll spend $1,231 per month in Szombathely versus $1,775 in Athens – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Szombathely or in Athens?
At $1,231 in Szombathely versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szombathely but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Szombathely the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Szombathely or Athens?
Both work as nomad bases, but Szombathely delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,231 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Szombathely hard to pass up.
How safe is Szombathely compared to Athens?
Safety-wise, Szombathely 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Szombathely gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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