Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Warsaw and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,045 in Warsaw, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Warsaw outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Warsaw
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Warsaw Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

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Warsaw

🇵🇱 Poland

$2,045

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,045 in Warsaw versus $1,806 in Athens.

Warsaw $2,045
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,944 in Warsaw versus $2,731 in Athens.

Warsaw $2,944
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,843 in Warsaw versus $3,656 in Athens.

Warsaw $3,843
Athens $3,656

Living in Warsaw is roughly 13% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Warsaw 53% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.46 zł 44.74

$16.66 €14.85

-31.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 zł 239

$66.2 €59.0

-7.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 zł 40.58

$11.06 €9.86

-5.97%

Cappuccino

$4.36 zł 17.03

$4.14 €3.69

5.31%

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

$2.22 zł 8.65

$2.80 €2.50

-20.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 zł 8.73

$0.57 €0.51

292.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.67 zł 18.24

$5.64 €5.03

-17.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 zł 20.28

$5.46 €4.86

-4.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 zł 4.11

$1.96 €1.74

-46.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 zł 6.00

$1.41 €1.25

9.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 zł 6.15

$2.83 €2.53

-44.17%

Eggs

$3.81 zł 14.88

$5.04 €4.49

-24.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.71 zł 34.00

$15.35 €13.68

-43.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 zł 25.34

$10.34 €9.22

-37.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 zł 58.0

$18.97 €16.92

-21.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 zł 4.70

$2.17 €1.93

-44.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 zł 6.51

$1.91 €1.70

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 zł 6.38

$1.38 €1.23

18.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 zł 16.58

$2.20 €1.96

93.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 zł 3.60

$1.10 €0.98

-16.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 zł 3.40

$1.13 €1.00

-23.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 zł 5.77

$1.10 €0.98

34.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 zł 2.51

$0.83 €0.74

-22.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.37 zł 24.86

$5.60 €4.99

13.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 zł 24.84

$10.19 €9.08

-37.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 zł 4.25

$2.18 €1.95

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 zł 6.37

$2.45 €2.18

-33.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 zł 4.35

$1.38 €1.23

-18.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 zł 110

$30.87 €27.52

-8.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 zł 10.24

$4.37 €3.90

-39.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 zł 4.93

$1.04 €0.93

21.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.86 zł 50.2

$17.11 €15.26

-24.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 zł 6.64

$2.31 €2.06

-26.41%

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

$30.2K zł 118.0K

$28.0K €24.9K

8.04%

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

$29.7K zł 116.1K

$28.0K €25.0K

6.16%

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

$352 zł 1,375

$210 €187

67.94%

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

$9.15 zł 35.71

$26.70 €23.80

-65.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.14 zł 63.0

$30.13 €26.86

-46.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.94 zł 179

$54.6 €48.68

-15.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 zł 111

$26.03 €23.21

9.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 zł 34.93

$10.78 €9.61

-16.98%

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

$600 zł 2,339

$575 €513

4.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K zł 55.7K

$13.1K €11.7K

8.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 zł 436

$93.2 €83.1

20.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.03 zł 160

$40.68 €36.27

0.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 zł 418

$104 €92.8

2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 zł 431

$128 €114

-13.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 zł 4,594

$756 €674

55.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 zł 3,812

$652 €582

49.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 zł 8,181

$1,294 €1,153

62.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 zł 6,166

$1,163 €1,037

35.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,960 zł 23.3K

$4,008 €3,574

48.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,860 zł 15.1K

$3,452 €3,078

11.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,096 zł 8,178

$1,243 €1,109

68.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

4.48

47.77%

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

Last update for Warsaw: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Warsaw

$977 46.8%

Athens

$652 36.5% 33.2% $324

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Warsaw

$378 18.1%

Athens

$267 14.9% 29.4% $111

Groceries & Markets

Warsaw

$234 11.2%

Athens

$315 17.6% 34.5% $81

Eating Out

Warsaw

$227 10.9%

Athens

$269 15% 18.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Warsaw

$167 8%

Athens

$165 9.2% 1.2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Warsaw

$64 3.1%

Athens

$76 4.3% 19.3% $12

Getting Around

Warsaw

$42 2%

Athens

$46 2.6% 10.2% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,177 in Warsaw and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Warsaw pays 69% 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: $61.0 in Warsaw vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $315 per month, with Warsaw cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Warsaw

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

04:18 4:18 AM

1 h ahead of Warsaw

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,861,599 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.9 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Warsaw
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

Warsaw vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Warsaw. 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 69% higher in Warsaw, 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: $1,177 in Warsaw 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 $61.0 in Warsaw. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,045 per month in Warsaw versus $1,806 in Athens – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,045 in Warsaw, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Warsaw. 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, Warsaw 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 13% less than in Warsaw. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.