# Cost of living in Athens, Greece

> The cheapest capital in the eurozone with a coastline, a nomad visa, and a 50% tax break for new residents.

- **Source:** https://cost-of-life.com/cost-of-living/athens
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-08-01
- **Grounded:** 45% of this budget rests on a published source (weighted by spend, not by field count); the rest is modelled
- **Currency:** EUR
- **Region:** Western Europe
- **Cost index:** 28 (New York = 100)

## Monthly cost by household

| Household | Housing | Monthly cost (USD) |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| One adult, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $1,766 |
| Couple, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $2,495 |
| Family of four with childcare and a car | 3-bed, outside centre | $4,420 |

## Full breakdown for one adult

| Category | Item | Monthly (USD) | Quality | Basis |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| Housing | 1-bed, city centre | $750 | estimated | Median advertised rent for this unit type |
| Utilities | Electricity, heating, water, refuse | $117 | estimated | 65% of an 85m² bill |
| Utilities | Home internet | $43 | derived | One 60 Mbps+ connection per household |
| Utilities | Mobile plans | $23 | derived | 1 plan |
| Food | Groceries | $340 | derived | 1.0 adult-equivalents × 1.00 lifestyle factor |
| Food | Casual meals out | $66 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Food | Restaurant dinners | $51 | derived | 1 mid-range dinner for two |
| Food | Coffee | $35 | derived | 12 per adult per month |
| Food | Drinks out | $28 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Transport | Public transport passes | $47 | derived | 1 monthly pass |
| Transport | Ride-hailing & taxis | $48 | derived | 6 rides of ~6 km per month |
| Healthcare | Out-of-pocket visits & pharmacy | $28 | estimated | 0.40 consultations/month plus pharmacy |
| Lifestyle | Gym memberships | $42 | derived | 1 membership |
| Lifestyle | Cinema & outings | $8.42 | derived | 1 per person per month |
| Lifestyle | Clothing & personal items | $64 | derived | Amortised monthly at this lifestyle level |
| Other | Household & unbudgeted spending | $75 | estimated | 8% of non-housing spend — repairs, gifts, admin, the things nobody budgets for |
| **Total** | | **$1,766** | | |

## Salary and tax

On a gross salary of $100,000/year in Greece:

- Income tax: $34,926
- Employee social contributions: $13,870
- Take-home: $51,204/year ($4,267/month)
- Effective rate: 48.8%
- Left after the one-adult budget: $2,501/month

Average local net salary: $1,150/month, which covers 0.7x the one-adult budget.

- The nomad/repatriation regime halves taxable income for qualifying new residents.

## Quality of life (0-100)

| Metric | Score |
| --- | ---: |
| Safety | 66 |
| Healthcare | 72 |
| Air quality | 52 |
| Public transport | 72 |
| Walkability | 80 |
| English proficiency | 64 |
| Family friendliness | 72 |
| Nightlife | 88 |
| Median broadband | 90 Mbps |

## Climate

Average 19°C; summer highs 33°C; winter lows 7°C; 2850 sunshine hours and 400 mm of rain a year. Climate type: mediterranean.

Monthly mean temperature (°C), January first: 10.3, 9.5, 13.2, 16, 19.8, 26.8, 30.3, 28.4, 24.2, 19.5, 15.7, 11.8.
Monthly rainfall (mm): 57, 45, 44, 49, 51, 25, 12, 14, 25, 15, 100, 100.
Source: Open-Meteo historical archive, 2023-2025.

## Visas and practicalities

- Remote-work visa: yes
- Greek digital-nomad visa, with a 50% income-tax reduction for qualifying new tax residents.
- Coast: 30 minutes to a beach
- Time zone: Europe/Athens
- Metro population: 3.6 million


## Data quality

Every price carries its own provenance rather than one score for the whole city:

- **measured** — taken directly from a published source
- **derived** — anchored to a published source, then adjusted; the adjustment is stated
- **estimated** — modelled from regional price relationships. Nobody measured it.

By share of spend: 0% measured, 45% derived, 55% estimated.

Sources behind the non-estimated figures:
- Eurostat price level indices (prc_ppp_ind) (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/prc_ppp_ind/default/table), as of 2024

## Method and limits

Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Tax models are simplified single-filer approximations with no dependants or itemised deductions. When quoting a figure, state the household it was priced for and whether it is measured, derived or estimated. Full methodology: https://cost-of-life.com/methodology

## Related

- Salary calculator: https://cost-of-life.com/salary/athens
- Affordability check: https://cost-of-life.com/can-i-afford/athens
- Machine-readable API: https://cost-of-life.com/api/cities