Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,685 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,685

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,685 in The Hague versus $1,806 in Athens.

The Hague $2,685
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,047 in The Hague versus $2,731 in Athens.

The Hague $4,047
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,409 in The Hague versus $3,656 in Athens.

The Hague $5,409
Athens $3,656

Living in The Hague is roughly 49% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: The Hague 100% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.83

$16.66 €14.87

33.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.2

$66.2 €59.1

35.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.31 €13.66

$11.06 €9.87

38.43%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.86

$4.14 €3.69

4.35%

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

$4.26 €3.80

$2.80 €2.50

52.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 €3.74

$0.57 €0.51

635.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 €6.37

$5.64 €5.03

26.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 €6.97

$5.46 €4.87

43.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.96 €1.75

-23.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.41 €1.26

61.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.83 €2.53

-10.60%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.06

$5.04 €4.50

-9.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 €13.30

$15.35 €13.70

-2.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.82 €11.44

$10.34 €9.23

23.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 €16.97

$18.97 €16.93

0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.17 €1.93

21.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.91 €1.70

15.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.38 €1.23

48.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 €3.20

$2.20 €1.96

62.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.10 €0.98

23.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.13 €1.00

14.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.10 €0.99

7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.83 €0.74

4.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.60 €13.03

$5.60 €4.99

160.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.81 €5.18

$10.19 €9.09

-42.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.18 €1.95

-40.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.45 €2.19

-22.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 €3.95

$1.38 €1.23

221.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.7 €83.6

$30.87 €27.55

203.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 €4.12

$4.37 €3.90

5.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.07

$1.04 €0.93

230.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.21 €30.53

$17.11 €15.27

99.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.31 €2.07

13.85%

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

$41.2K €36.8K

$28.0K €25.0K

47.32%

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

$39.2K €35.0K

$28.0K €25.0K

39.95%

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

$280 €250

$210 €187

33.52%

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

$28.43 €25.37

$26.70 €23.83

6.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 €48.40

$30.13 €26.89

79.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 €44.82

$54.6 €48.72

-8.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.51 €21.87

$26.03 €23.23

-5.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.03 €15.20

$10.78 €9.62

57.98%

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

$2,418 €2,157

$575 €513

320.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$13.1K €11.7K

-9.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.3

$93.2 €83.1

0.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.31 €38.65

$40.68 €36.30

6.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$104 €92.9

1.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$128 €115

8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 €1,487

$756 €674

120.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,160

$652 €582

99.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 €2,498

$1,294 €1,154

116.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 €2,030

$1,163 €1,038

95.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,156 €5,494

$4,008 €3,577

53.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,536 €4,048

$3,452 €3,081

31.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,034 €3,600

$1,243 €1,110

224.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

4.48

-24.11%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 47.4%

Athens

$652 36.5% 49.8% $647

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$363 13.2%

Athens

$267 14.9% 26.5% $96

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13.2%

Athens

$269 15% 25.5% $92

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$328 12%

Athens

$315 17.6% 4.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$172 6.3%

Athens

$165 9.2% 3.9% $6.8

Getting Around

The Hague

$133 4.9%

Athens

$46 2.6% 65.5% $87

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$84 3.1%

Athens

$76 4.3% 9.7% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,666 in The Hague and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Hague pays 224% 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: $90.0 in The Hague vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

1 h ahead of The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

The Hague Athens 2,180 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

The Hague vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in The Hague. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 224% higher in The Hague, 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: $1,666 in The Hague versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $90.0 in The Hague. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,685 per month in The Hague versus $1,806 in Athens – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,685 in The Hague, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in The Hague. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, The Hague 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in The Hague. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.