City comparison
Cost of living in Austin vs Athens
One person needs about €2,411 a month in Austin and €1,236 in Athens, rent included — Athens is 49% cheaper overall.
🇺🇸 Austin
No state income tax and a real tech market, with car costs baked in.
Monthly budget: €2,411
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇬🇷 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
Should you move to Austin or Athens?
On salary, Austin pays more for tech roles (€6,500 versus €1,700 a month), so the money left over after costs is €4,089 in Austin at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,600 in Austin against €700 in Athens. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Austin at 73 and Athens at 71 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.