Cost of living comparison

compared to

Gaithersburg vs. Athens Cost of Living Summary

Gaithersburg is 42.6% more expensive than Athens.

Restaurants
pay 6.1% more in Gaithersburg
Groceries
pay 67.7% more in Gaithersburg
Transportation
pay 32.1% less in Gaithersburg
Housing
pay 2.0 times more in Gaithersburg
Childcare
pay 2.8 times more in Gaithersburg
Entertainment and Sports
pay 24.0% more in Gaithersburg
Clothing
pay 15.0% less in Gaithersburg

The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Gaithersburg are more expensive than in Athens. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Gaithersburg. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Gaithersburg.

Gaithersburg vs. Athens Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Gaithersburg instead of Athens, you would:

pay 6.1% more for restaurants

 
Athens
Gaithersburg
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $16.80
€15.07
$20.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.20
€10.05
$7.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.82
€2.53
$2.75
 

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pay 67.7% more for groceries

 
Athens
Gaithersburg
Bread
1 loaf
$1.43
€1.28
$4.45
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.56
€6.78
$8.82
 
Milk (1 gallon) $7.14
€6.40
$4.64
 

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pay 32.1% less for transportation

 
Athens
Gaithersburg
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.72
€7.82
$3.81
 
Monthly public transit pass $30.23
€27.12
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $27,970.99
€25,094.18
$27,000.00
 

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pay 2.0 times more for housing

 
Athens
Gaithersburg
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$30.36
€27.24
$62.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $742.36
€666.01
$1,800.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $655.59
€588.16
$1,575.00
 

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pay 2.8 times more for childcare

 
Athens
Gaithersburg
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $573.57
€514.58
$1,597.92
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,885.92
€11,560.60
$36,066.67
 

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pay 24.0% more for entertainment and sports

 
Athens
Gaithersburg
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.60
€5.02
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.11
€3.69
$5.86
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$5.60
€5.02
$14.00
 

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pay 15.0% less for clothing

 
Athens
Gaithersburg
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$91.55
€82.14
$55.33
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$40.01
€35.89
$36.33
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$104.08
€93.38
$102.08
 

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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