City comparison
Cost of living in Athens vs Budapest
One person needs about €1,236 a month in Athens and €1,220 in Budapest, rent included — Budapest is 1% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Budapest the way you live in Athens on €3,000, you need
€2,961/ month net
1% less than today (-€39)
- Athens today
- Basket €1,236 · left over €1,764 (59%)
- Budapest at the matched salary
- Basket €1,220 · left over €1,741 (59%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 189% over in Budapest (comfortable) vs 138% in Athens. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇬🇷 Athens
Cheapest euro-zone big city here, with the widest gap between local pay and expat pay.
Monthly budget: €1,236
Sources: ELSTAT + Eurostat, HICP & household budget survey (2025) · 164 community reports
🇭🇺 Budapest
Thermal baths, cheap rent and a currency that makes euro income stretch.
Monthly budget: €1,220
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Athens or Budapest?
On salary, Budapest pays more for tech roles (€2,300 versus €1,700 a month), so the money left over after costs is €1,080 in Budapest at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €700 in Athens against €750 in Budapest. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Athens at 71 and Budapest at 78 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.