Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wels and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $1,885 in Wels, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
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Wels Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,885

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,885 in Wels versus $1,775 in Athens.

Wels $1,885
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,801 in Wels versus $2,721 in Athens.

Wels $2,801
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,717 in Wels versus $3,666 in Athens.

Wels $3,717
Athens $3,666

Living in Wels is roughly 6% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wels 40% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.47 €14.65

$16.69 €14.84

-1.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.1

$67.8 €60.3

22.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$11.14 €9.91

1.62%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.79

$4.03 €3.58

5.96%

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

$3.38 €3.01

$2.77 €2.46

22.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$0.55 €0.49

441.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 €4.84

$5.74 €5.10

-5.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$5.45 €4.85

-0.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.82 €1.62

-17.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.38 €1.23

74.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.80 €2.49

-38.21%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.42

$4.83 €4.30

-20.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.73 €19.33

$15.05 €13.39

44.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.85 €11.43

$10.63 €9.45

20.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.77 €19.36

$18.43 €16.39

18.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.20 €1.96

35.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.90 €1.69

-6.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.37 €1.22

98.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.10 €1.87

33.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.08 €0.96

133.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.12 €1.00

45.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.12 €1.00

101.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.88 €0.79

-14.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.51 €6.68

$5.48 €4.88

37.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.94 €7.95

$10.13 €9.01

-11.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$2.13 €1.89

-62.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.25 €2.00

-2.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 €2.40

$1.36 €1.21

98.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.48 €34.23

$29.89 €26.59

28.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.01

$4.45 €3.96

26.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.02 €0.90

129.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.71 €27.32

$16.92 €15.05

81.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.25 €2.00

-20.44%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$28.0K €24.9K

9.59%

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

$30.2K €26.9K

$28.2K €25.1K

7.00%

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

$333 €296

$205 €182

62.81%

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

$13.71 €12.19

$26.65 €23.71

-48.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.38 €33.25

$30.38 €27.02

23.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.43 €40.41

$54.5 €48.47

-16.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.27 €29.59

$25.88 €23.02

28.55%

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 €12.13

$10.42 €9.27

30.90%

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

$1,336 €1,189

$569 €506

134.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$12.6K €11.2K

25.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 €73.4

$88.7 €78.9

-6.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 €52.7

$40.46 €35.99

46.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.9

$105 €93.3

6.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$121 €108

1.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 €601

$741 €659

-8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 €489

$655 €582

-16.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 €832

$1,300 €1,156

-28.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €704

$1,148 €1,021

-31.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,698

$4,014 €3,570

3.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,425 €3,047

$3,460 €3,078

-1.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,072 €2,733

$1,242 €1,105

147.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

4.48

-21.88%

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

Last update for Wels: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wels

$550 29.2%

Athens

$655 36.9% 19% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wels

$384 20.4%

Athens

$262 14.7% 31.9% $123

Groceries & Markets

Wels

$362 19.2%

Athens

$310 17.5% 14.2% $51

Eating Out

Wels

$280 14.9%

Athens

$268 15.1% 4.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Wels

$169 9%

Athens

$160 9% 5.6% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Wels

$73 3.9%

Athens

$75 4.2% 3.6% $2.6

Getting Around

Wels

$67 3.5%

Athens

$45 2.5% 32.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $676 in Wels and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wels pays 147% 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: $83.0 in Wels vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Wels

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

22:49 10:49 PM

1 h ahead of Wels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,853

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Wels Athens 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wels
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

Wels vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Wels. 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 147% higher in Wels, 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: $676 in Wels 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 $83.0 in Wels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,885 per month in Wels versus $1,775 in Athens – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,885 in Wels, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Wels. 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, Wels 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 6% less than in Wels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.