City comparison
Cost of living in Mexico City vs Athens
One person needs about €1,284 a month in Mexico City and €1,236 in Athens, rent included — Athens is 4% 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 Athens the way you live in Mexico City on €3,000, you need
€2,888/ month net
4% less than today (-€112)
- Mexico City today
- Basket €1,284 · left over €1,716 (57%)
- Athens at the matched salary
- Basket €1,236 · left over €1,652 (57%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 138% over in Athens (adequate) vs 148% in Mexico City. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇲🇽 Mexico City
Great food, US time zones, and rents rising quickly in Roma and Condesa.
Monthly budget: €1,284
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 Mexico City or Athens?
On salary, Mexico City pays more for tech roles (€1,900 versus €1,700 a month), so the money left over after costs is €616 in Mexico City at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €850 in Mexico City against €700 in Athens. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Mexico City at 78 and Athens at 71 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.