Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zgorzelec and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Zgorzelec: $1,412 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Zgorzelec
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Zgorzelec Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Zgorzelec

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,412

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,412 in Zgorzelec versus $1,771 in Athens.

Zgorzelec $1,412
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,062 in Zgorzelec versus $2,736 in Athens.

Zgorzelec $2,062
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,712 in Zgorzelec versus $3,701 in Athens.

Zgorzelec $2,712
Athens $3,701

Living in Zgorzelec costs roughly 20% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zgorzelec 4% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 zł 34.83

$16.83 €14.97

-46.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 zł 197

$68.2 €60.7

-25.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 zł 29.70

$11.43 €10.17

-33.07%

Cappuccino

$3.09 zł 12.02

$4.06 €3.61

-23.89%

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

$0.88 zł 3.40

$2.74 €2.44

-67.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 zł 6.09

$0.53 €0.47

196.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 zł 5.77

$5.69 €5.06

-73.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 zł 7.79

$5.68 €5.06

-64.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 zł 3.52

$1.85 €1.64

-50.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 zł 4.67

$1.44 €1.28

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 zł 5.54

$2.82 €2.51

-49.29%

Eggs

$3.60 zł 13.97

$4.86 €4.32

-25.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 zł 33.79

$15.27 €13.58

-43.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 zł 23.83

$10.36 €9.21

-40.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 zł 51.2

$19.10 €16.99

-30.99%

Apples (1kg)

$0.86 zł 3.32

$2.22 €1.98

-61.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 zł 6.04

$1.92 €1.71

-19.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 zł 6.53

$1.41 €1.25

19.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 zł 5.81

$2.04 €1.82

-26.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 zł 2.57

$1.05 €0.93

-37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 zł 3.91

$1.17 €1.04

-13.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 zł 4.76

$1.08 €0.96

13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 zł 2.68

$0.84 €0.75

-17.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 zł 18.35

$5.49 €4.89

-14.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 zł 29.36

$10.17 €9.05

-25.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 zł 3.39

$2.13 €1.90

-59.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 zł 5.45

$2.28 €2.03

-38.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 zł 4.07

$1.37 €1.22

-23.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.83 zł 120

$29.71 €26.43

3.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 zł 8.66

$4.39 €3.90

-49.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 zł 3.85

$1.00 €0.89

-1.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.86 zł 49.96

$16.63 €14.79

-22.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 zł 6.47

$2.38 €2.11

-29.83%

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

$30.9K zł 119.9K

$28.4K €25.3K

8.63%

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

$26.7K zł 103.9K

$27.2K €24.2K

-1.73%

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

$295 zł 1,147

$203 €181

45.19%

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

$7.65 zł 29.71

$26.79 €23.83

-71.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.94 zł 73.6

$30.16 €26.82

-37.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.09 zł 148

$53.7 €47.74

-29.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.82 zł 84.8

$26.40 €23.48

-17.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 zł 29.35

$10.59 €9.42

-28.71%

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

$483 zł 1,875

$566 €504

-14.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 zł 28.9K

$12.9K €11.4K

-42.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 zł 300

$89.1 €79.3

-13.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.43 zł 145

$40.48 €36.01

-7.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 zł 332

$104 €92.3

-17.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 zł 420

$124 €111

-13.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 zł 2,341

$729 €648

-17.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 zł 1,935

$647 €576

-23.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 zł 3,860

$1,328 €1,181

-25.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 zł 3,168

$1,169 €1,040

-30.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,924 zł 11.4K

$4,024 €3,579

-27.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,192 zł 8,515

$3,483 €3,098

-37.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,356 zł 5,270

$1,240 €1,103

9.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

4.48

47.99%

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

Last update for Zgorzelec: 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

Zgorzelec

$498 35.3%

Athens

$647 36.5% 30% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zgorzelec

$322 22.8%

Athens

$260 14.7% 19.1% $62

Groceries & Markets

Zgorzelec

$205 14.5%

Athens

$312 17.6% 52.6% $108

Eating Out

Zgorzelec

$153 10.8%

Athens

$271 15.3% 76.9% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Zgorzelec

$139 9.8%

Athens

$161 9.1% 16.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Zgorzelec

$53 3.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 40.7% $22

Getting Around

Zgorzelec

$42 3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 5.6% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $603 in Zgorzelec and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zgorzelec pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51.0 in Zgorzelec vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $312 per month, with Zgorzelec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Zgorzelec

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

20:41 8:41 PM

1 h ahead of Zgorzelec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,534

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zgorzelec Athens 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zgorzelec
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

Zgorzelec vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zgorzelec wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zgorzelec the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Zgorzelec, 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: $603 in Zgorzelec versus $729 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zgorzelec – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,412 per month in Zgorzelec versus $1,771 in Athens – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,412 in Zgorzelec versus $1,771 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zgorzelec but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zgorzelec the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zgorzelec delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,412 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zgorzelec hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Zgorzelec 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 Zgorzelec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.