Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Žalec and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Žalec: $1,668 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Athens despite lower rent and utilities.

81

Cost of Living Index in Žalec
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Žalec Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Žalec

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,668

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,668 in Žalec versus $1,775 in Athens.

Žalec $1,668
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,408 in Žalec versus $2,721 in Athens.

Žalec $2,408
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,148 in Žalec versus $3,666 in Athens.

Žalec $3,148
Athens $3,666

Living in Žalec costs roughly 6% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Žalec 24% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.00 €8.89

$16.69 €14.84

-40.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.77 €36.27

$67.8 €60.3

-39.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 €7.03

$11.14 €9.91

-28.99%

Cappuccino

$1.93 €1.71

$4.03 €3.58

-52.11%

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

$3.15 €2.80

$2.77 €2.46

13.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$0.55 €0.49

207.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$5.74 €5.10

-33.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.39

$5.45 €4.85

-29.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.21

$1.82 €1.62

-24.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.38 €1.23

61.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.80 €2.49

-35.00%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$4.83 €4.30

-15.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 €8.10

$15.05 €13.39

-39.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 €8.62

$10.63 €9.45

-8.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.04 €13.38

$18.43 €16.39

-18.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.20 €1.96

-13.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.90 €1.69

-16.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.37 €1.22

42.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.44

$2.10 €1.87

30.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.08 €0.96

-4.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.12 €1.00

-27.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.12 €1.00

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.88 €0.79

-19.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.44

$5.48 €4.88

11.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 €5.89

$10.13 €9.01

-34.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.23

$2.13 €1.89

-34.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.25 €2.00

-15.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.36 €1.21

2.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.91 €30.17

$29.89 €26.59

13.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 €1.73

$4.45 €3.96

-56.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.02 €0.90

28.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.74 €16.67

$16.92 €15.05

10.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.25 €2.00

-24.89%

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

$28.9K €25.7K

$28.0K €24.9K

3.24%

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

$24.9K €22.1K

$28.2K €25.1K

-11.90%

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

$285 €254

$205 €182

39.31%

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

$16.58 €14.75

$26.65 €23.71

-37.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 €25.19

$30.38 €27.02

-6.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 €57.7

$54.5 €48.47

19.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 €8.97

$10.42 €9.27

-3.17%

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

$651 €579

$569 €506

14.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K €12.6K

$12.6K €11.2K

12.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €83.4

$88.7 €78.9

5.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.66 €32.61

$40.46 €35.99

-9.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.3

$105 €93.3

5.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$121 €108

1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 €631

$741 €659

-4.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 €538

$655 €582

-7.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 €1,048

$1,300 €1,156

-9.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 €892

$1,148 €1,021

-12.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,312 €2,946

$4,014 €3,570

-17.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,285 €2,922

$3,460 €3,078

-5.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,466 €1,304

$1,242 €1,105

18.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

4.48

-20.54%

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

Last update for Žalec: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Žalec

$605 36.3%

Athens

$655 36.9% 8.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Žalec

$330 19.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 20.7% $68

Groceries & Markets

Žalec

$264 15.8%

Athens

$310 17.5% 17.8% $47

Eating Out

Žalec

$173 10.4%

Athens

$268 15.1% 55% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Žalec

$164 9.8%

Athens

$160 9% 2.3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Žalec

$85 5.1%

Athens

$75 4.2% 11.5% $9.8

Getting Around

Žalec

$48 2.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 6.5% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $709 in Žalec and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Žalec pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41.00 in Žalec vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $310 per month, with Žalec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Žalec

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

1 h ahead of Žalec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Žalec Athens 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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

Žalec vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Žalec wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Žalec the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Žalec, 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: $709 in Žalec versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Žalec – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,668 per month in Žalec versus $1,775 in Athens – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,668 in Žalec versus $1,775 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Žalec but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Žalec the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Žalec delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,668 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Žalec hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Žalec 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 Žalec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.