Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkala and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $385 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$385

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $385 in Varkala versus $1,771 in Athens.

Varkala $385
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $612 in Varkala versus $2,736 in Athens.

Varkala $612
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $839 in Varkala versus $3,701 in Athens.

Varkala $839
Athens $3,701

Living in Varkala costs roughly 78% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Varkala is 72% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.37 ₹225

$16.83 €14.97

-85.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.35 ₹983

$68.2 €60.7

-84.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.51 ₹333

$11.43 €10.17

-69.29%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹151

$4.06 €3.61

-60.84%

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

$0.37 ₹35.47

$2.74 €2.44

-86.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.74

$0.53 €0.47

-73.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₹167

$5.69 €5.06

-69.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ₹290

$5.68 €5.06

-46.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 ₹61.9

$1.85 €1.64

-64.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 ₹46.20

$1.44 €1.28

-65.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ₹67.1

$2.82 €2.51

-74.82%

Eggs

$0.94 ₹89.0

$4.86 €4.32

-80.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 ₹487

$15.27 €13.58

-66.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ₹289

$10.36 €9.21

-70.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ₹194

$2.22 €1.98

-8.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.4

$1.92 €1.71

-63.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ₹89.0

$1.41 €1.25

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.4

$2.04 €1.82

-74.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹33.96

$1.05 €0.93

-65.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.91

$1.17 €1.04

-61.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹42.97

$1.08 €0.96

-58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.84

$0.84 €0.75

-63.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ₹366

$5.49 €4.89

-29.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 ₹712

$10.17 €9.05

-26.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₹170

$2.13 €1.90

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₹266

$2.28 €2.03

22.81%

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

$5.36 ₹509

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₹26.45

$1.37 €1.22

-79.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 ₹823

$29.71 €26.43

-70.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₹75.2

$4.39 €3.90

-82.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.73

$1.00 €0.89

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ₹140

$16.63 €14.79

-91.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₹116

$2.38 €2.11

-48.32%

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

$14.1K ₹1.3M

$28.4K €25.3K

-50.25%

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

$22.0K ₹2.1M

$27.2K €24.2K

-19.06%

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

$38.61 ₹3,666

$203 €181

-81.02%

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

$3.52 ₹334

$26.79 €23.83

-86.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ₹691

$30.16 €26.82

-75.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.16 ₹1,534

$53.7 €47.74

-69.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.04 ₹668

$26.40 €23.48

-73.33%

Cinema Ticket

$2.92 ₹277

$10.59 €9.42

-72.43%

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

$51.7 ₹4,906

$566 €504

-90.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,531 ₹145.4K

$12.9K €11.4K

-88.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.84 ₹2,264

$89.1 €79.3

-73.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.34 ₹2,406

$40.48 €36.01

-37.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.87 ₹4,070

$104 €92.3

-58.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.88 ₹2,932

$124 €111

-75.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 ₹12.0K

$729 €648

-82.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$74.7 ₹7,094

$647 €576

-88.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 ₹25.6K

$1,328 €1,181

-79.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₹17.0K

$1,169 €1,040

-84.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,076 ₹102.2K

$4,024 €3,579

-73.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$607 ₹57.6K

$3,483 €3,098

-82.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.67

4.48

93.53%

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

Last update for Varkala: October 19, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varkala

$106 27.6%

Athens

$312 17.6% 194% $206

Accommodation & Living

Varkala

$75 19.4%

Athens

$647 36.5% 767% $573

Eating Out

Varkala

$66 17%

Athens

$271 15.3% 313% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Varkala

$55 14.4%

Athens

$161 9.1% 191% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkala

$49 12.8%

Athens

$260 14.7% 427% $211

Sport & Entertainment

Varkala

$22 5.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 240% $53

Getting Around

Varkala

$12 3.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 277% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $126 in Varkala and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $10.00 in Varkala vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $106 vs $312 per month, with Varkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varkala

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

23:31 11:31 PM

2 h 30 min behind Varkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

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 20, 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 20, 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

Varkala Athens 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Varkala
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

Varkala vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varkala wins on cost – living expenses run 360% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Varkala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $578 in Varkala and $2,657 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $126 in Varkala versus $729 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Varkala – a meal for two runs $10.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $385 per month in Varkala versus $1,771 in Athens – a 360% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $385 in Varkala versus $1,771 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varkala but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Varkala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Varkala delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $385 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Varkala hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Varkala 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 Varkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 360% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.