Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zakynthos and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakynthos: $1,686 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zakynthos
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Zakynthos Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Zakynthos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,686

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,686 in Zakynthos versus $1,775 in Athens.

Zakynthos $1,686
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,543 in Zakynthos versus $2,721 in Athens.

Zakynthos $2,543
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,400 in Zakynthos versus $3,666 in Athens.

Zakynthos $3,400
Athens $3,666

Living in Zakynthos costs roughly 5% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zakynthos 25% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.04 €24.94

$16.69 €14.84

68.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 €50.1

$67.8 €60.3

-16.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 €9.83

$11.14 €9.91

-0.81%

Cappuccino

$4.78 €4.25

$4.03 €3.58

18.61%

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

$5.61 €4.99

$2.77 €2.46

102.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.55

$0.55 €0.49

12.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 €4.38

$5.74 €5.10

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 €6.00

$5.45 €4.85

23.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.82 €1.62

25.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.38 €1.23

39.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.80 €2.49

-8.57%

Eggs

$4.72 €4.19

$4.83 €4.30

-2.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.78 €13.15

$15.05 €13.39

-1.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.79 €13.15

$10.63 €9.45

39.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.29 €10.93

$18.43 €16.39

-33.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 €3.15

$2.20 €1.96

61.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.90 €1.69

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.37 €1.22

-0.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$2.10 €1.87

-9.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.08 €0.96

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.12 €1.00

4.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.12 €1.00

-0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.88 €0.79

122.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 €4.65

$5.48 €4.88

-4.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.11 €6.32

$10.13 €9.01

-29.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.13 €1.89

-17.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.25 €2.00

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.36 €1.21

47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.72 €39.78

$29.89 €26.59

49.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 €3.80

$4.45 €3.96

-4.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.02 €0.90

10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.48 €15.55

$16.92 €15.05

3.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.25 €2.00

-13.33%

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

$23.9K €21.2K

$28.0K €24.9K

-14.84%

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

$21.8K €19.4K

$28.2K €25.1K

-22.84%

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

$201 €179

$205 €182

-1.58%

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

$42.62 €37.91

$26.65 €23.71

59.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.11 €26.79

$30.38 €27.02

-0.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 €44.53

$54.5 €48.47

-8.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.47 €23.55

$25.88 €23.02

2.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.50 €8.45

$10.42 €9.27

-8.83%

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

$428 €380

$569 €506

-24.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,273 €7,359

$12.6K €11.2K

-34.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €79.4

$88.7 €78.9

0.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.12 €34.80

$40.46 €35.99

-3.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €109

$105 €93.3

17.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$121 €108

13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 €341

$741 €659

-48.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 €351

$655 €582

-39.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 €695

$1,300 €1,156

-39.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 €500

$1,148 €1,021

-51.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,621 €2,331

$4,014 €3,570

-34.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,228 €1,982

$3,460 €3,078

-35.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,311 €1,166

$1,242 €1,105

5.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

4.48

-0.45%

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

Last update for Zakynthos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zakynthos

$394 23.4%

Athens

$655 36.9% 66% $260

Eating Out

Zakynthos

$378 22.4%

Athens

$268 15.1% 29.1% $110

Groceries & Markets

Zakynthos

$334 19.8%

Athens

$310 17.5% 6.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zakynthos

$274 16.3%

Athens

$262 14.7% 4.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Zakynthos

$175 10.4%

Athens

$160 9% 8.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Zakynthos

$69 4.1%

Athens

$75 4.2% 9.1% $6.3

Getting Around

Zakynthos

$63 3.7%

Athens

$45 2.5% 28.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $384 in Zakynthos and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zakynthos pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Zakynthos vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $334 vs $310, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Zakynthos

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

Same time as Zakynthos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,015

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Zakynthos vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zakynthos wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zakynthos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Zakynthos, 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: $384 in Zakynthos versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zakynthos – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,686 per month in Zakynthos versus $1,775 in Athens – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,686 in Zakynthos versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zakynthos but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zakynthos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zakynthos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,686 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zakynthos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Zakynthos 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 Zakynthos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.