Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulm and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,139 in Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
Learn more

Ulm Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,139

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,139 in Ulm versus $1,806 in Athens.

Ulm $2,139
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,265 in Ulm versus $2,731 in Athens.

Ulm $3,265
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,390 in Ulm versus $3,656 in Athens.

Ulm $4,390
Athens $3,656

Living in Ulm is roughly 18% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ulm 60% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.64 €14.85

$16.66 €14.87

-0.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.3

$66.2 €59.1

0.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.86

$11.06 €9.87

20.16%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$4.14 €3.69

-8.21%

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

$4.67 €4.16

$2.80 €2.50

66.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.57 €0.51

238.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.67 €4.17

$5.64 €5.03

-17.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.95

$5.46 €4.87

-19.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.96 €1.75

-26.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.41 €1.26

40.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$2.83 €2.53

47.70%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.22

$5.04 €4.50

-28.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.40 €12.85

$15.35 €13.70

-6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 €9.13

$10.34 €9.23

-1.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 €22.73

$18.97 €16.93

34.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 €3.11

$2.17 €1.93

60.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.91 €1.70

17.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.38 €1.23

43.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.47

$2.20 €1.96

76.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.10 €0.98

-5.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.13 €1.00

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.10 €0.99

52.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.83 €0.74

45.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 €8.89

$5.60 €4.99

78.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$10.19 €9.09

-44.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.18 €1.95

-47.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.45 €2.19

-39.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 €2.84

$1.38 €1.23

131.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 €57.7

$30.87 €27.55

109.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.31 €2.07

-8.66%

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

$32.7K €29.2K

$28.0K €25.0K

16.89%

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

$38.6K €34.5K

$28.0K €25.0K

37.87%

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

$384 €342

$210 €187

82.97%

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

$34.18 €30.50

$26.70 €23.83

28.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.12

$30.13 €26.89

75.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.91 €30.26

$54.6 €48.72

-37.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.47 €20.05

$26.03 €23.23

-13.68%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 €12.05

$10.78 €9.62

25.23%

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

$451 €402

$575 €513

-21.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$13.1K €11.7K

-1.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.9

$93.2 €83.1

-2.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 €49.37

$40.68 €36.30

35.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 €82.5

$104 €92.9

-11.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$128 €115

16.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 €855

$756 €674

26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$652 €582

15.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 €1,684

$1,294 €1,154

45.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 €1,352

$1,163 €1,038

30.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,993 €5,349

$4,008 €3,577

49.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,946 €3,522

$3,452 €3,081

14.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,754 €3,350

$1,243 €1,110

201.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

4.48

-11.38%

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

Last update for Ulm: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulm

$756 35%

Athens

$652 36.5% 13.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulm

$471 21.8%

Athens

$267 14.9% 43.4% $204

Groceries & Markets

Ulm

$341 15.8%

Athens

$315 17.6% 7.7% $26

Eating Out

Ulm

$277 12.9%

Athens

$269 15% 3.1% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Ulm

$175 8.1%

Athens

$165 9.2% 5.7% $10

Getting Around

Ulm

$77 * 3.6%

Athens

$46 2.6% 40.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Ulm

$61 2.8%

Athens

$76 4.3% 25% $15

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 $958 in Ulm and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulm pays 202% 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: $66.0 in Ulm vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $341 vs $315, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ulm

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

1 h ahead of Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,648

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ulm Athens 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ulm
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

Ulm vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Ulm. 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 202% higher in Ulm, 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: $958 in Ulm 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 $66.0 in Ulm. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,139 per month in Ulm versus $1,806 in Athens – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,139 in Ulm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Ulm. 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, Ulm 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 18% less than in Ulm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.