Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Zagreb and in Athens: $1,750 and $1,806 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,750

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,750 in Zagreb versus $1,806 in Athens.

Zagreb $1,750
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,611 in Zagreb versus $2,731 in Athens.

Zagreb $2,611
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,472 in Zagreb versus $3,656 in Athens.

Zagreb $3,472
Athens $3,656

Living in Zagreb costs roughly 3% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zagreb 31% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 €11.12

$16.66 €14.87

-25.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 €56.3

$66.2 €59.1

-4.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.30 €7.40

$11.06 €9.87

-24.95%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$4.14 €3.69

-38.41%

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

$2.97 €2.65

$2.80 €2.50

6.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$0.57 €0.51

361.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.95

$5.64 €5.03

-41.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.02

$5.46 €4.87

-17.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.96 €1.75

-34.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.41 €1.26

17.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.83 €2.53

-4.59%

Eggs

$4.00 €3.57

$5.04 €4.50

-20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.17 €13.54

$15.35 €13.70

-1.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.00 €10.71

$10.34 €9.23

16.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.74

$18.97 €16.93

-7.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.17 €1.93

6.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.91 €1.70

-9.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.38 €1.23

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.20 €1.96

13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.10 €0.98

22.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.13 €1.00

4.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.10 €0.99

7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.83 €0.74

62.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 €5.27

$5.60 €4.99

5.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 €9.10

$10.19 €9.09

0.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.18 €1.95

-24.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.45 €2.19

4.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 €0.54

$1.38 €1.23

-55.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 €47.57

$30.87 €27.55

72.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.98

$4.37 €3.90

-49.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.04 €0.93

37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.01 €10.72

$17.11 €15.27

-29.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.31 €2.07

-19.91%

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

$28.4K €25.4K

$28.0K €25.0K

1.64%

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

$27.5K €24.6K

$28.0K €25.0K

-1.72%

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

$218 €195

$210 €187

4.10%

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

$23.68 €21.13

$26.70 €23.83

-11.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.14 €36.71

$30.13 €26.89

36.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 €44.75

$54.6 €48.72

-8.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 €16.68

$26.03 €23.23

-28.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 €7.82

$10.78 €9.62

-18.74%

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

$489 €436

$575 €513

-14.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,926

$13.1K €11.7K

-23.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €95.0

$93.2 €83.1

14.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.58 €38.00

$40.68 €36.30

4.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 €85.9

$104 €92.9

-7.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.5

$128 €115

-15.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$861 €768

$756 €674

13.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 €1,302

$1,294 €1,154

12.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 €926

$1,163 €1,038

-10.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,152 €4,598

$4,008 €3,577

28.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,551 €3,169

$3,452 €3,081

2.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,984 €1,771

$1,243 €1,110

59.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

4.48

-26.34%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$652 37.3%

Athens

$652 36.5% 0% $0

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$318 18.2%

Athens

$315 17.6% 1.1% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$283 16.2%

Athens

$267 14.9% 5.9% $17

Eating Out

Zagreb

$203 11.6%

Athens

$269 15% 32.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$159 9.1%

Athens

$165 9.2% 3.6% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$68 3.9%

Athens

$76 4.3% 12.5% $8.5

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Athens

$46 2.6% 29.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $861 in Zagreb and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zagreb pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Zagreb vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $315, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

1 h ahead of Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

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

Zagreb Athens 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zagreb
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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

Zagreb vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zagreb wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zagreb the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Zagreb, 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: $861 in Zagreb versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zagreb – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,750 per month in Zagreb versus $1,806 in Athens – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,750 in Zagreb versus $1,806 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Zagreb but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zagreb the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zagreb delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,750 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zagreb hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Zagreb 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 Zagreb gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.