Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukesha, WI and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $2,030 in Waukesha, WI, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Waukesha, WI
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Waukesha, WI Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Waukesha, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,030

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,030 in Waukesha, WI versus $1,771 in Athens.

Waukesha, WI $2,030
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,967 in Waukesha, WI versus $2,736 in Athens.

Waukesha, WI $2,967
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,905 in Waukesha, WI versus $3,701 in Athens.

Waukesha, WI $3,905
Athens $3,701

Living in Waukesha, WI is roughly 15% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waukesha, WI 50% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.70 $16.70

$16.83 €14.97

-0.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$68.2 €60.7

12.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 $10.99

$11.43 €10.17

-3.85%

Cappuccino

$4.88 $4.88

$4.06 €3.61

20.20%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$2.74 €2.44

1.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.53 €0.47

269.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$5.69 €5.06

6.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$5.68 €5.06

19.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.85 €1.64

-56.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.44 €1.28

135.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.82 €2.51

58.16%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$4.86 €4.32

-26.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$15.27 €13.58

-40.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$10.36 €9.21

8.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.57 $16.57

$19.10 €16.99

-13.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.22 €1.98

138.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.92 €1.71

-10.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.41 €1.25

153.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.04 €1.82

152.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.05 €0.93

68.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.17 €1.04

123.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.08 €0.96

49.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.84 €0.75

121.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.39 $8.39

$5.49 €4.89

52.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 $10.90

$10.17 €9.05

7.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.13 €1.90

-18.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.28 €2.03

48.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.37 €1.22

49.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.0 $50.0

$29.71 €26.43

68.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 $2.88

$4.39 €3.90

-34.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.00 €0.89

64.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.09 $21.09

$16.63 €14.79

26.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.38 €2.11

-57.14%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$28.4K €25.3K

-12.17%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$27.2K €24.2K

-7.27%

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

$200 $200

$203 €181

-1.48%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$26.79 €23.83

91.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 $60.5

$30.16 €26.82

100.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$53.7 €47.74

-6.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$10.59 €9.42

32.77%

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

$1,472 $1,472

$566 €504

159.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K $24.2K

$12.9K €11.4K

88.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$89.1 €79.3

-40.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 $40.55

$40.48 €36.01

0.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 $89.2

$104 €92.3

-14.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 $76.3

$124 €111

-38.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 $1,006

$729 €648

38.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 $805

$647 €576

24.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 $1,616

$1,328 €1,181

21.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 $1,190

$1,169 €1,040

1.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 $2,430

$4,024 €3,579

-39.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,375 $2,375

$3,483 €3,098

-31.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,340 $4,340

$1,240 €1,103

249.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

4.48

45.76%

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

Last update for Waukesha, WI: October 19, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waukesha, WI

$805 39.7%

Athens

$647 36.5% 19.6% $158

Groceries & Markets

Waukesha, WI

$361 17.8%

Athens

$312 17.6% 13.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukesha, WI

$312 15.4%

Athens

$260 14.7% 16.6% $52

Eating Out

Waukesha, WI

$288 14.2%

Athens

$271 15.3% 6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Waukesha, WI

$117 5.8%

Athens

$161 9.1% 37.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Waukesha, WI

$78 3.9%

Athens

$75 4.2% 4.5% $3.6

Getting Around

Waukesha, WI

$69 3.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 35.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,006 in Waukesha, WI and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waukesha, WI pays 250% 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: $76.0 in Waukesha, WI vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $312 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukesha, WI

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

06:17 6:17 AM

8 h ahead of Waukesha, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,158

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Waukesha, WI Athens 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Waukesha, WI
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

Waukesha, WI vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Waukesha, WI. 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 250% higher in Waukesha, WI, 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: $1,006 in Waukesha, WI versus $729 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 $76.0 in Waukesha, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,030 per month in Waukesha, WI versus $1,771 in Athens – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $2,030 in Waukesha, WI, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Waukesha, WI. 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 $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Waukesha, WI 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 15% less than in Waukesha, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.