How Much Does It Cost to Live In Athens?
Athens is the first city in Europe that you can approach from the Middle East.
This is a comfortable place to live thanks to the mild climate, culture, and cuisine.
The prices for the attractions, food, rental, and utilities are more than affordable.
As the largest city in Greece, Athens has a developed transport infrastructure, which includes ferry, motorways, airport, railways, trams, and buses.
Athens is a place of destination for those who love archaeology, history, museums, and music.
The city is home to more than three million people.
Greece : Cost of Living by City
RESTAURANTS
International cuisines, ethnic restaurants, pizza, pasta, sushi, and the most diverse seafood can be found in the cafes, grill bars and fish taverns in Athens.
You will often be able to listen to live music in the eateries and in the streets.
Water is very cheap in Athens, and the most expensive products are cheese and meat.
MARKETS
One of the largest and most popular markets in Athens is the central covered food market.
Here you can buy everything from fresh fish and seafood to meat and cheese to olives, spices, and souvenirs.
You can even eat the prepared food sitting at one of the tables among the stalls.
TRANSPORTATION
A large number of people prefer to live outside the city of Athens, in the suburbs, because the transportation system is very convenient.
The city has fast rail, metro, buses, trolleybuses, trams, and taxis at your service.
The monuments in the historical part of the city are easy to access on foot.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Monthly utilities include water, electricity, garbage, heating, and cooling and cost $156.15 per month.
A minute of a prepaid mobile tariff is more expensive than average prices all over the country.
The Internet connection is speedy but not so cheap.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Athens is the center of sportive life in Greece.
There are numerous tennis courts, basketball grounds, and yachting clubs.
You can go horse-riding, run the marathon, watch the rally, play golf or ride a bicycle.
People who enjoy water usually go fishing, swimming, sailing, diving, water skiing, or sunbathing.
CLOTHING & SHOES
If there’s nothing left to do in Athens, go shopping.
This capital city is full of small and big stores, boutiques and shops.
Both locals and tourists often name their hometown the paradise for shoppers.
Many shops in Athens sell clothes and shoes really cheap, so more and more tourists come here for great quality and low prices.
RENT PER MONTH
The residential properties in Athens are rented out at fairly low prices.
Some of them are fully furnished while the others in the new buildings have just been initially repaired.
The prices for one-bedroom apartments in the center are not much different from those outside the urban area.
It is worth thinking about renting a three-bedroom apartment.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Athens
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $11.20 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $4.48 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.56 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.37 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $0.90 |
| Eggs (12) | $3.43 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $1.57 |
| Monthly Pass | $33.60 |
| Gasoline | $1.75 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $156.15 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.41 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $35.45 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $28.35 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $19.21 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $8.96 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $80.91 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $33.01 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $82.03 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $382.83 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $331.64 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $665.59 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Athens?
An average person in Athens spends equal sums of money on monthly rent and restaurants (17.4% and 17% respectively).
The highest percentage of money is traditionally spent in the markets and the reason is people enjoy it and know how to cook well at home with such a great variety of fresh products.
Along with eating in, the Greeks are outgoing and open-minded.
They love eating out in the evenings or at the weekends, especially in the summer season.
Besides spending leisure time at the restaurants, a lot of money is spent on sports and cinema, as much as 6.2% to be precise.
Despite low prices for rental, there seem to be high prices for the utilities.
An average person spends 11.3% on water, garbage and the rest of the main home comforts.
Average Costs Breakdown
Athens: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
If you are going to move to Athens or invest in this country, you should understand its prices, costs and minimum wages that you can expect here.
Like most of the European Union countries, Athens has the policy of the fixed minimum wage which is spread to the whole country and is $782.9 on average per month.
This is lower than in Spain or Slovenia, for instance, and is caused by the recent crisis that Greece has recently survived.
The average monthly salary in Athens is not much higher than the minimum wage and makes $838.94.
The economic situation in Athens is slowly increasing, and more people start buying property or taking housing loans.
The yearly interest rate for the mortgage housing is 5.15% per annum fixed for twenty years.
Athens Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Athens Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: LOW
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: HIGH
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
- SCAMS RISK: HIGH
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Cost of Living by City in Athens
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Thessaloniki | 57.97 |
