Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Venlo and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,440 in Venlo, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Venlo
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Venlo Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Venlo

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,440

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,440 in Venlo versus $1,775 in Athens.

Venlo $2,440
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Venlo versus $2,721 in Athens.

Venlo $3,465
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,489 in Venlo versus $3,666 in Athens.

Venlo $4,489
Athens $3,666

Living in Venlo is roughly 37% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Venlo 81% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.44 €19.96

$16.69 €14.84

34.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 €77.8

$67.8 €60.3

29.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 €11.63

$11.14 €9.91

17.32%

Cappuccino

$3.46 €3.08

$4.03 €3.58

-14.14%

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

$3.22 €2.87

$2.77 €2.46

16.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.54

$0.55 €0.49

420.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.49 €5.78

$5.74 €5.10

13.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$5.45 €4.85

4.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.82 €1.62

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.38 €1.23

26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.80 €2.49

-12.50%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.48

$4.83 €4.30

4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 €12.05

$15.05 €13.39

-10.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.18 €13.50

$10.63 €9.45

42.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 €13.55

$18.43 €16.39

-17.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.20 €1.96

-4.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.90 €1.69

13.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.37 €1.22

37.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 €4.12

$2.10 €1.87

120.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.08 €0.96

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.12 €1.00

61.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.12 €1.00

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.88 €0.79

-14.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.14 €12.57

$5.48 €4.88

158.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.00 €6.23

$10.13 €9.01

-30.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.13 €1.89

-32.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.42

$2.25 €2.00

21.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.36 €1.21

13.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 €117

$29.89 €26.59

339.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.55

$4.45 €3.96

-10.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.02 €0.90

123.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.95 €29.31

$16.92 €15.05

94.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.25 €2.00

1.78%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$28.0K €24.9K

44.62%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$28.2K €25.1K

35.76%

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

$181 €161

$205 €182

-11.76%

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

$14.89 €13.24

$26.65 €23.71

-44.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.41

$30.38 €27.02

82.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.69 €19.30

$54.5 €48.47

-60.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.81 €28.29

$25.88 €23.02

22.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.24 €10.00

$10.42 €9.27

7.87%

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

$1,264 €1,124

$569 €506

122.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.5K

$12.6K €11.2K

-6.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 €78.3

$88.7 €78.9

-0.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.20 €25.97

$40.46 €35.99

-27.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$105 €93.3

7.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 €136

$121 €108

26.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 €987

$741 €659

49.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 €1,036

$655 €582

77.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 €1,177

$1,300 €1,156

1.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 €1,366

$1,148 €1,021

33.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,127 €2,782

$4,014 €3,570

-22.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,821 €2,509

$3,460 €3,078

-18.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,652 €3,249

$1,242 €1,105

193.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

4.48

-14.51%

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

Last update for Venlo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Venlo

$1.2K 47.7%

Athens

$655 36.9% 43.8% $510

Eating Out

Venlo

$328 13.5%

Athens

$268 15.1% 18.4% $60

Groceries & Markets

Venlo

$326 13.4%

Athens

$310 17.5% 4.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Venlo

$251 10.3%

Athens

$262 14.7% 4.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Venlo

$173 7.1%

Athens

$160 9% 7.4% $13

Getting Around

Venlo

$153 6.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 70.6% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Venlo

$44 1.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 70.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,110 in Venlo and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Venlo pays 194% 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: $87.0 in Venlo vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Venlo

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

1 h ahead of Venlo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,328

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

Venlo Athens 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Venlo vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Venlo. 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 194% higher in Venlo, 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: $1,110 in Venlo versus $741 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 $68.0 versus $87.0 in Venlo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,440 per month in Venlo versus $1,775 in Athens – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,440 in Venlo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Venlo. 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 $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Venlo 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 37% less than in Venlo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.