Cost of Living · ZA vs GR
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇬🇷 Athens: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $1,295 in Greece — 55.45% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Greece
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 15.64%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 15.64%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 15.75%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +66.3%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +66.3%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +66.3%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | Greece | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $864 (798 EUR) | +66.3% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $691 (639 EUR) | +66.3% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $1,580 (1,460 EUR) | +66.3% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $10.34 (10 EUR) | +49.21% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $43.07 (40 EUR) | +49.13% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $6.64 (6 EUR) | +43.72% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $0.73 (1 EUR) | +32.73% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $2.14 (2 EUR) | +33.75% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $2.27 (2 EUR) | +33.53% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | +33.6% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $2.67 (2 EUR) | +33.5% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $3.21 (3 EUR) | +33.75% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $8.02 (7 EUR) | +33.89% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $1.34 (1 EUR) | +34% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $3.45 (3 EUR) | +49.35% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $6.54 (6 EUR) | +15.75% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $2.87 (3 EUR) | +48.7% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $1.54 (1 EUR) | +33.91% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $39.26 (36 EUR) | +43.81% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $1.66 (2 EUR) | +43.1% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $2.30 (2 EUR) | +49.35% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $1.03 (1 EUR) | +49.28% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.78 (1 EUR) | +16.42% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $121 (112 EUR) | +43.81% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $42.28 (39 EUR) | +43.81% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $27.18 (25 EUR) | +43.81% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $28.72 (27 EUR) | +49.12% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $8.04 (7 EUR) | +49.17% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $17.23 (16 EUR) | +49.18% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $44.95 (42 EUR) | +15.64% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $73.56 (68 EUR) | +15.64% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $144 (133 EUR) | +49.13% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Greece than South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,295 in Greece versus $833 in South Africa — 55.45% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Greece?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.45 in Greece (≈ 3.19 EUR), versus about $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in Greece compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $864/month in Greece versus $520/month in South Africa (+66.3%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.