Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $289 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$289

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $289 in Varanasi versus $1,775 in Athens.

Varanasi $289
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $476 in Varanasi versus $2,721 in Athens.

Varanasi $476
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $663 in Varanasi versus $3,666 in Athens.

Varanasi $663
Athens $3,666

Living in Varanasi costs roughly 84% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Varanasi is 79% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.82 ₹173

$16.69 €14.84

-89.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.99 ₹759

$67.8 €60.3

-88.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.10 ₹295

$11.14 €9.91

-72.17%

Cappuccino

$1.57 ₹149

$4.03 €3.58

-61.04%

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

$0.41 ₹39.31

$2.77 €2.46

-85.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.47

$0.55 €0.49

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 ₹152

$5.74 €5.10

-72.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ₹194

$5.45 €4.85

-62.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹58.5

$1.82 €1.62

-65.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.90

$1.38 €1.23

-77.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.5

$2.80 €2.49

-81.07%

Eggs

$0.81 ₹77.3

$4.83 €4.30

-83.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.20 ₹304

$15.05 €13.39

-78.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.19 ₹208

$10.63 €9.45

-79.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ₹133

$2.20 €1.96

-36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 ₹57.3

$1.90 €1.69

-68.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 ₹82.7

$1.37 €1.22

-36.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.20

$2.10 €1.87

-84.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ₹21.68

$1.08 €0.96

-78.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.25 ₹23.77

$1.12 €1.00

-77.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹42.08

$1.12 €1.00

-60.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.68

$0.88 €0.79

-68.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 ₹303

$5.48 €4.88

-41.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₹553

$10.13 €9.01

-42.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

$2.13 €1.89

-25.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₹178

$2.25 €2.00

-16.89%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.19 ₹398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 ₹50.7

$1.36 €1.21

-61.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.63 ₹914

$29.89 €26.59

-67.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.26 ₹24.88

$4.45 €3.96

-94.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.10 ₹9.62

$1.02 €0.90

-90.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹96.9

$16.92 €15.05

-93.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹100

$2.25 €2.00

-53.33%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$28.0K €24.9K

-55.34%

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

$21.8K ₹2.1M

$28.2K €25.1K

-22.81%

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

$12.47 ₹1,185

$205 €182

-93.91%

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

$3.66 ₹348

$26.65 €23.71

-86.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.98 ₹663

$30.38 €27.02

-77.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.63 ₹1,199

$54.5 €48.47

-76.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 ₹271

$10.42 €9.27

-72.55%

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

$38.92 ₹3,696

$569 €506

-93.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,003 ₹95.2K

$12.6K €11.2K

-92.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.70 ₹2,156

$88.7 €78.9

-74.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.30 ₹2,403

$40.46 €35.99

-37.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.80 ₹3,589

$105 €93.3

-63.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.24 ₹2,397

$121 €108

-79.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$111 ₹10.5K

$741 €659

-85.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$47.37 ₹4,499

$655 €582

-92.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 ₹18.6K

$1,300 €1,156

-84.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 ₹13.3K

$1,148 €1,021

-87.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$569 ₹54.0K

$4,014 €3,570

-85.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$333 ₹31.6K

$3,460 €3,078

-90.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$578 ₹54.9K

$1,242 €1,105

-53.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

4.48

90.40%

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

Last update for Varanasi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$81 27.9%

Athens

$310 17.5% 285% $230

Eating Out

Varanasi

$57 19.7%

Athens

$268 15.1% 372% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$50 17.3%

Athens

$160 9% 220% $110

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16.4%

Athens

$655 36.9% 1282% $607

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 1032% $239

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$18 6.4%

Athens

$75 4.2% 311% $57

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 258% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $111 in Varanasi and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 115% 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: $8.00 in Varanasi vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $81.0 vs $310 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

2 h 30 min behind Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Varanasi Athens 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Varanasi
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

Varanasi vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi wins on cost – living expenses run 515% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Varanasi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 115% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $111 in Varanasi versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Varanasi – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $289 per month in Varanasi versus $1,775 in Athens – a 515% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $289 in Varanasi versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varanasi but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Varanasi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Varanasi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $289 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Varanasi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Varanasi 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 Varanasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 515% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.