3.49/5
1,482 reviews
Photo by Constantinos Kollias via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Athens

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great

center

bit

nice

night

food

good

cheap

stay

airbnb

areas

wifi

friendly

explore

metro

speed

mbps

Athens offers a solid mix of city life and access to better suburbs. Northern areas like Doukisis Plakentias, Glyfada, Kifisia, and Marousi are recommended for higher quality of life—cleaner, safer, with metro access to the center in 15 minutes. Rents and food are very affordable; nice apartments go for cheap, and meals like souvlaki are tasty and inexpensive. Locals are friendly and direct, food is a highlight, and Wi-Fi is surprisingly fast at 500 Mbps down in Airbnbs.

The center has beautiful spots like Monastiraki and the Acropolis, plus decent nightlife, but areas like Omonia and Exarcheia feel depressing, dirty, and sketchy—avoid walking alone at night. Social scene is weak for meeting people. Not much to do long-term, but great for short stays or weekend island hops. Overall, live in suburbs for the best experience.

AI-generated summary of reviews
10 days ago

I have really enjoyed Athens. The food here is really good and cheap. You can find cheap places that are really nice to stay in. For example, I got a really nice two-bedroom apartment in the heart of Athens for $100 a night through Airbnb.
The Wi-Fi speed here is good as well, in an Airbnb. The download speed was 500 Mbps, and the upload was 250 Mbps, which is better than what I have at home in the US. If you're seeking a weekend getaway, it's really easy to just fly to an island. It's not insanely touristy, at least in the wintertime. However, the social scene here is not great, I would say. And it's a bit harder to meet people if that's what you're going for

12 days ago

The center is beautiful; Monastiraki, Psyri, etc. But the city is a complete mess. Nothing really works as it should, but this is to be expected by a Mediterranean city so close to Asia. The non-center areas like Omonia an Exarcheia are so depressing... Ugly, full of junkies and shady people. We never felt in danger, but the looks were a bit not nice - I can't imagine a girl walking alone at night on those streets. I thought food was great but a bit samey: souvlaki, gyros, moussaka, salads... Everything tastes the same. I absolutely LOVED Greek people. The musicality when they speak, how loud they are, how direct and special. It's difficult to explain. It made me want to see more of Greece, but I don't think Athens is it. It's worth to spend a few days just to visit the Acropolis, it is truly stunning. I found the museums to be big but lacking in 'major' pieces. Nightlife was much better than expected. And women are beautiful: they have the typical tall, curly hair, big nose women with an attitude. And they dress up also.

3 months ago

Athens is a fantastic city. Locals are friendly and food is fantastic. There isn't a huge amount to do, but for a short stay it's definitely worth the visit.

3 years ago

I am a Greek living abroad just the last couple of years. I accidentally discovered this page and noticed the comments below. What I can recommend to people considering living in Athens is to explore places a bit outside of the city center. I agree with people that there are many areas very close to the city center that are dirty and perhaps not very safe to walk around at night. Explore areas like Glyfada, Voula, Kifisia, Marousi, Psychiko, Marousi and you will be amazed with how different it is! The quality of life in such areas area way way WAY better than what you get by living in the city center. If you don't have a car, top tip would be to find a place with a metro station nearby.

4 years ago

Athens is a great city; much to do! It offers a balance of daily life and nightlife. Rents are extremely reasonable. Two of my colleagues and I decided to live in the northern suburbs near metro stations called Doukisis Plakentias. 15 minute underground ride to Athens centre. Mt. Pentelis which is very nearby offers and great trekking paths and clean air for those who love to be close to nature as well as close to the city. Nice shopping area too, like Halandri. Great restaurants, cafes, etc., expensive and cheap. All around great place to live and work! No complaints here!

5 years ago

Like all cities that have lots of tourists, it's best to explore a little and get off the well beaten track. There are literally thousands of small cafes and bars that have free, fast WiFi, cheap coffee and good kebabs.
If you stay in the absolute cheapest part of town, you will get a different vibe. There are a lot of AirBnB springing up and in the off-season these are very reasonably priced.
I can't understand how you could be bored in Athens. So many places to see, so many museums and historic sites, beaches, clubs, mountains, markets and...
Check out some of the closer islands, but steer clear of the ones frequented by Cruise Ships like Mykonos and Santorini. The prices in these places are not really reflective of the rest of the country.

6 years ago

Pretty decent place. I usually spend September and October in Athens when the weather is close to perfect ie. not too hot nor too cold for yours truly.

You can get easily by with nothing but English, though tossing an occasional συγνώμε and παρακαλώ in the mix helps. That, of course, as long as you stay in the pricey parts of the city.

With a bit of luck and some advance planning Athens can be extremely affordable. There are Airbnb listings quite far away from the center, yet close to a metro station -- for less than 800€ per month you can get a two bedrooms + a kitchen + a large balcony next to a reasonably quiet street.

This, of course, works only for those who are more or less busy working from Monday to Friday. For something resembling more like a tourist visit, you'll be paying at least twice for a flat near the center and quite likely end up in somewhere with plenty of motorcycle noises to keep you awake all night, every night.

6 years ago

Great for 2 days to a week. No longer is needed. Was there for a month and frequently went to islands due to Athens being dirty, touristy, and somewhat boring. Foods good though!

6 years ago

Athens is a very interesting city. It is very large, a bit like Tbilisi, very hot in the summer. Refugees everywhere, but everyone is friendly

7 years ago

Athens is very diverse, which is great. As a black digital nomad, it was nice to be treated like a person for the most part rather than as a strange animal. This is more than I can say for so much of Europe. The city has not been well taken care of in recent years, but it is still very charming, as are the people. Almost everyone smokes here and it is difficult to find a completely smoke-free work location. The public transportation system is decent and the facilities are clean. WiFi is pretty fast as well and available in most places.

7 years ago

People and food are just lovely in Greece. Would argue that Greeks are the most friendly and welcoming people in Europe. The city is a disaster. Overrun by migrants, run down by the government, empty buildings and gratifies everywhere. Not far from city center (10min by feet) it feels more like a third world country than Europe.

7 years ago

✅ Friendly people

✅ Affordable rents and food

✅ Good food

✅ Fast internet

✅ Easy access to nature and suburbs

✅ Good nightlife

✅ Very safe

✅ Lots of fun stuff to do

✅ Warm in the spring

✅ Perfect humidity now

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Easy to make friends

✅ Easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Great hospitals

✅ Roads are pretty safe

✅ Freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ People can speak basic English

✅ Safe for women

✅ Family friendly

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

❌ Dirty and unsafe in some central areas

❌ Social scene not great

❌ Very expensive

❌ Cold now

❌ Gets cold in the winter

❌ Very hot in the summer

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Feels crowded

❌ People smoking tobacco a lot

❌ High alcohol consumption

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

1152°
cool

1355°
cool

1152°
cool

2170°
mild

2577°
warm

2781°
warm

3391°
hot

2882°
warm

2170°
mild

1864°
cool

1559°
cool

Real (median)

1152°
cool

1355°
cool

1152°
cool

2067°
mild

2576°
warm

2679°
warm

3290°
hot

3289°
hot

2882°
very warm

2068°
mild

1763°
cool

1558°
cool

Humidity

nice
68%

nice
67%

nice
60%

nice
58%

nice
46%

nice
54%

nice
40%

nice
41%

nice
50%

nice
67%

nice
70%

nice
67%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

Rain

rainy
57mm

dry
27mm

dry
15mm

dry
19mm

dry
2mm

dry
12mm

dry
1mm

dry
8mm

dry
28mm

dry
41mm

rainy
61mm

Cloud

pockets
39%

pockets
22%

pockets
26%

pockets
28%

pockets
21%

pockets
23%

clear
8%

clear
7%

pockets
18%

pockets
25%

pockets
44%

pockets
30%

Air quality

okay
59 US AQI

okay
61 US AQI

okay
62 US AQI

okay
77 US AQI

okay
93 US AQI

bad
128 US AQI

bad
133 US AQI

okay
96 US AQI

okay
72 US AQI

okay
53 US AQI

okay
56 US AQI

Sun

safe
2 UVI

seek shade
3 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

safe
3 UVI

safe
2 UVI

Remote workers

3,316 people

3,882 people

3,695 people

5,070 people

6,189 people

8,813 people

6,143 people

5,850 people

8,550 people

9,171 people

6,857 people

5,440 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

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$1,657 / mo

11 Mbps

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.49/5 (Rank #101) 1482 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍19 liked it 👎4 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Good
👶 Family score	Good
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	0% is nomad here
💵 Cost	🧐 Pricey: $3,317 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 12 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Great
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥶 Too cold: 14°C57°F (feels 14°C57°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 54%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	😊 High: 70%
💨 Air quality (now)	😐 Moderate: 74 US AQI
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Good: 72 US AQI
👌 Safety	Great
👩 Safe for women	Okay
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Great
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Great
🤝 Lack of racism*	Bad
🎓 Education level*	High
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Good
💰 Income level*	Mediocre: $1,436 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Okay
😤 People density	😤 Dense: 19k ppl/km² (1 per 7x7m)
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
🏥 Hospitals	Good
😄 Happiness*	Okay
🍸 Nightlife	Good
📶 Free WiFi in city	Good
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Okay
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Good
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Good
🎅 Startup Score	Okay

🌍 Continent	Europe
🚩 Country	Greece
🗓️ Average trip length	7 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	12 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	☀️ 14°C 57°F + 😊 Comfy (54%) = feels 14°C 57°F
💨 Air quality (now)	👍 74 US AQI 🍃 OK
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👎😷 72 US AQI
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Beat
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	EUR 100 = USD 118
💸 Tipping	Yes, 7.50%
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	tzaferi16
💻 Best alt. coworking space	The Cube
🚰 Tap water	👌 Yes, safe to drink
♻️ Return rate	👍13% of visitors return
📸 Visitors per year	4,978,600 visitors
📸 Tourists now	95,415 tourists
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	670,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$17,230 / year
😤 Population density	😤 crowded: 7x7m (49m²) per person
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 81% 👱‍♀️ 19%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Skroutz
🏠 Apartment listings	Spitogatos
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Aegean
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Aegean Air

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$3,317 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$1,744 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$3,163 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$904 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$1,691 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$2,285 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$463 / month
🏠 Median home price	$259,996
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$79 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$75 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$476 / month
🍛 Dinner	$14
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$1
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$6
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$4
👩‍🏫 International school	$10,724 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$69 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$4 / trip
💰 Estimated tax on $50,000	$13,000
💰 Estimated tax on $100,000	$29,920
💰 Estimated tax on $250,000	$79,420