Cost of living comparison
compared to
Athens vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Athens is 82.1% more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 77.7% more in Athens
- Groceries
-
pay 52.6% more in Athens
- Transportation
-
pay 27.6% more in Athens
- Housing
-
pay 53.5% more in Athens
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1 times more in Athens
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.0 times more in Athens
- Clothing
-
pay 52.9% more in Athens
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, clothing, and groceries in Athens are more expensive than in South Africa. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Athens.
Athens vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Athens instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 77.7% more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
$17.52
€15.05
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
$10.51
€9.03
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
$2.48
€2.13
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
$0.62
€0.53
|
|
South Africa vs. Athens - Cost of restaurants
pay 52.6% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
$1.39
€1.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
$7.54
€6.47
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
$7.20
€6.18
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
$4.70
€4.04
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
$4.85
€4.16
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
$1.03
€0.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
$0.97
€0.83
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
$0.71
€0.61
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
$1.07
€0.92
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
$0.67
€0.57
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
$0.57
€0.49
|
|
South Africa vs. Athens - Cost of groceries
pay 27.6% more for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
$7.94
€6.82
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
$35.04
€30.09
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
$29,198.27
€25,075.80
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
$14.02
€12.04
|
|
South Africa vs. Athens - Cost of transportation
pay 53.5% more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
$34.45
€29.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
$685.67
€588.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
$609.10
€523.10
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
$165.77
€142.37
|
|
South Africa vs. Athens - Cost of housing
pay 3.1 times more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
$566.82
€486.79
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
$11,581.98
€9,946.73
|
|
South Africa vs. Athens - Cost of childcare
pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
$5.84
€5.02
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
$4.12
€3.54
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
$5.84
€5.02
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
$56.30
€48.35
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
$10.51
€9.03
|
|
South Africa vs. Athens - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 52.9% more for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
$101.47
€87.15
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
$47.68
€40.95
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
$105.26
€90.40
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
$125.94
€108.16
|
|
South Africa vs. Athens - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in South Africa vs. Greece.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within South Africa and Greece.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Athens or South Africa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.