Athens

Quality of life in Athens

Athens, the birthplace of democracy, is a city with deep roots in history and culture. Its grand architecture, Mediterranean climate and millions of annual visitors feed a thriving tourism industry, creating thousands of Athens jobs. Shipping, finance and international trade are also important elements of Athens, which offers affordable housing and proximity to countless recreational and cultural activities .

Athens is one of the top ten city matches for 0.7% of Teleport users.

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Life quality score

City ranking

Housing

9
34/265
Details
Large apartment$690.00
Medium apartment$560.00
Rent index [score]0.92
Small apartment$430.00

Cost of Living

7
88/248
Details
5km taxi ride$8.30
A Cappuccino$3.90
A beer$1.80
A kilogram of Apples$1.70
Bread$0.64
Inflation [score]0.65
Lunch$16.00
Monthly fitness club membership$42.00
Monthly public transport$40.00
Movie ticket$8.80
Price of a meal at a restaurant$62.87

Startups

4
120/264
Details
Average monthly increase in number of startups2
Average monthly increase in number of startups [score]0.27
Coworking spaces [score]0.45
Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co24
Meetups [score]0.40
Meetups groups106
Meetups members43787
Number of investors31
Number of startup events in the last 12 months100
Number of upcoming meetup events18
Startup climate scene [score]0.37
Startup events24
Startup events [score]0.46
Startups [score]0.61
Total number of startups164

Venture Capital

2
133/192
Details
Funding accelerator namesOpenFund, Metavallon
Number of funding accelerators2
Venture capital [score]0.23

Travel Connectivity

4
102/266
Details
Airport hub104
Airport hub [score]0.48
Intercity train connectivity [score]0.26

Commute

5
116/255
Details
Human city pagehttp://cities.human.co/details/Greece/Athens
Traffic handling [score]0.67

Business Freedom

6
193/264
Details
Business freedom73.80
Business freedom [score]0.64
Freedom from corruption43.00
Freedom from corruption [score]0.35
Lack of labor restrictions50.20
Lack of labor restrictions [score]0.28
Time to open a business13.00
Time to open a business [score]0.86

Safety

7
171/266
Details
Crime rate [score]0.47
Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year2
Guns per 100 residents23
Lack of gun related deaths [score]0.96
Lack of guns [score]0.88
Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score]0.92

Healthcare

7
172/265
Details
Healthcare expenditure [score]0.70
Healthcare quality [score]0.62
Life expectancy (years)80.98
Life expectancy [score]0.86

Education

3
191/240
Details
Best university in rankingNational and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Best university ranking550
Country mean scores in PISA math test455.37
Country mean scores in PISA reading test477.20
Country mean scores in PISA science test466.72
PISA math ranking (high school)33
PISA ranking35
PISA ranking (high school) [score]0.53
PISA reading (high school)29
PISA science (high school)33
Percent of happy students0.73
Percent of low performers in PISA math test0.36
Percent of low performers in PISA reading test0.23
Percent of low performers in PISA science test0.26
Percent of top performers in PISA math test0.04
Percent of top performers in PISA reading test0.05
Percent of top performers in PISA science test0.02
University quality [score]0.10

Environmental Quality

4
216/266
Details
Air quality [score]0.42
Cleanliness [score]0.29
Drinking water quality [score]0.71
Urban greenery [score]0.10

Economy

3
233/263
Details
Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area0.85
Currency for urban areaEUR
GDP growth rate0.01
GDP growth rate [score]0.24
GDP per capita$25858.77
GDP per capita [score]0.42

Taxation

4
174/266
Details
Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score]0.42
Income tax level [score]0.41
Profit tax (% of profit)0.51
Time overhead to file company taxes193
VAT (Sales Tax)0.24

Internet Access

2
245/266
Details
Download speed (Mbps)14.00
Internet access (download) [score]0.26
Internet access (upload) [score]0.18
Upload speed (Mbps)4.22

Leisure & Culture

8
36/264
Details
Art galleries50
Art galleries [score]0.69
Cinemas132
Cinemas [score]0.71
Comedy clubs9
Comedy clubs [score]0.52
Concert venues96
Concerts [score]0.81
Historical sites97
Historical sites [score]0.83
Museums78
Museums [score]0.75
Performing art venues119
Performing arts [score]0.85
Sport venues100
Sports [score]0.90
Zoos3
Zoos [score]0.78

Tolerance

6
181/266
Details
Homosexuality acceptance (percent of the surveyed population in favor)0.53
LGBT Equality Index66.52
LGBT Equality Index [score]0.67
LGBT adoption rights✖ Single only
LGBT age of consent✔ Equal
LGBT blood donation regulations✔ Legal
LGBT conversion therapy regulations✔ Banned
LGBT discrimination legalityIllegal in some contexts
LGBT employment discrimination legality✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
LGBT gender changing rights✔ Legal, surgery not required
LGBT homosexuality rights✔ Legal
LGBT housing discrimination legality✖ No protections
LGBT marriage rights✔ Civil unions
Tolerance towards minorities [score]0.58

Outdoors

6
21/266
Details
Elevation (hills or mountains) [score]0.34
Median peak in meters983.00
Presence of hills in city1.00
Presence of mountains in city1.00
Seaside access1.00
Urban area elevation (meters)88.00
Water access [score]0.95
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Cost of living

Costs of living in Athens are in the 88th place of all 248 Teleport cities. Average living expenses are significantly lower compared to other cities, especially in the housing market. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international  cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.

Housing costs (USD)

$380$480
$430
Median rent for
apartments in city center

Daily living costs (USD)

Monthly fitness club membership$42
Movie ticket$9
Broadband internet connection$21
Monthly public transport$40
Lunch$16
-39%
compared to
San Francisco
See more prices and detailed cost of living data in Athens

Job salary calculator

Software Engineer salaries in Athens are low. For this job type, Athens ranks 223rd for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Athens.

Estimated annual salary (in USD)

$23,604
Median salary
See more details and salary rankings for all job types in Athens

Locals review Athens

Do locals recommend living in Athens?

What could Athens do better?#improveAthens

How could Athens improve to make it a more liveable city? We will make sure that the local government will know about the suggestions that reach enough votes*.
*Suggestions will be delivered to: Mayor of Athens - Giorgos Kaminis
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something that can be improved about your city.

What makes Athens a special place?#praiseAthens

Is Athens a great place to live? What makes it special for you? What makes it liveable? What should others know about? Why should they move here? Why do you love it?
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something nice about your city.

Taxation

Personal taxation

Value added tax (VAT)

24%
Standard tax rate. Different rates might apply for certain product categories.

Compared to other cities

102/266

Corporate taxation

Compared to other cities

217/263
See more details on taxation in Athens
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Safety

Gun crimes & Ownership

22.50
Guns per 100 people
1.52
Gun deaths per 100k people / year
HIGH GUN CRIMELOW GUN CRIMEFEW GUNSMANY GUNS
North America
Europe
Asia
South America
Africa
Oceania

Overall crime rate city ranking

The overall crime rate puts Athens in position 187 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.

WORSTBEST
See more details on gun crime and safety in Athens

Visa

For visits up to 90 days

Required with citizenship of
Get more information about visas in Athens here
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People in Athens

Population of Athens

3,868,500
616 /km²
176/264
Density (people per unit of area)
-2%
Growth in 2015-2020
Athens

Demographics of Greece

Median age
44
Elderly people
21%
Life expectancy at birth
81
GDP per capita (in USD)
$25,859
183/263
Unemployment
25%
258/264

Languages

Common spoken languages
Greek

Friends living in Athens

Find out which of your friends are living in Athens. Nothing is better than knowing a local 😉

Teleport Users  X  Athens

Teleport users who are      Athens

Work in:

Marketing Manager
6.28%
Software Engineer
5.83%
Founder
5.38%
Administrative Assistant
3.14%
Web Designer
3.14%
Operations Manager
2.69%
Project Manager
2.69%
Other
70.85%

Come from:

Climate

Average number of days per year without rain

266.7

Climate type

Mediterranean

Average daily maximum temperature

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Impressions from Athens

6:15 36 Hours in Athens | The New York Times

A video by The New York Times

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On living in Athens

Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína), is the capital city of Greece with a metropolitan population of 3.7 million inhabitants. It is in many ways the birthplace of Classical Greece, and therefore of Western civilization.

The first pre-historic settlements was constructed in 3000 BC around the hill of Acropolis. According to legend the King of Athens, Theseus, unified the ten tribes of early Athens into one kingdom in around 1230 BC. This process of synoikismos – bringing together in one home – created the largest and wealthiest state on the Greek mainland, but it also created a larger class of people excluded from political life by the nobility. By the 7th century BC, social unrest had become widespread, and the Areopagus appointed Draco to draft a strict new law code (hence "draconian"). When this failed, they appointed Solon, with a mandate to create a new constitution (594). This was the great beginning of a new social revolution, which was the result of the democracy under Clisthenes (508 BC). During the Middle Ages, Athens experienced a decline, but re-emerged under Byzantine rule. Athens was thriving and prosperous during the Crusades, actually benefiting from the Italian trade during this period. However, this fruitful period was short-lived, as Greece suffered badly under the Ottoman Empire, only to recover in the 19th century as the capital of independent Greece.

Athens hosted the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. While most of the sporting venues were located outside the city proper - in various locations throughout Attica- the entire urban area of Athens underwent major lasting changes that have improved the quality of life for visitors and residents alike. Aside from the excellent transportation infrastructure that was completed in time for the 2004 Olympics (from new freeways to light rail systems), the city's historic center underwent serious renovation. Most notable among the city's facelift projects are the Unification of Archaeological Sites -which connects the city's classical-era ruins and monuments to each other through a network of pleasant pedestrianized streets- and the restoration of the picturesque neoclassical Thissio and Pláka districts.

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Good Country Index

Every city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.

Overall ranking

Greece
30th from a total of 163 countries

World Order

32nd

Refugees hosted

Refugees generated

Charity giving

Birth rate

UN Treaties signed

International Peace & Security

133rd

Dues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets

International violent conflict

Peacekeeping troops

Arms exports

Internet security (2014)

Planet & Climate

11th

Ecological footprint

Reforestation since 1992

Hazardous pesticides exports

CO2 emissions

Ozone

Prosperity & Equality

65th

Development assistance

FDI outflows

Fairtrade market size

UN volunteers abroad

Open trading

Culture

42nd

Freedom of movement

Press freedom

Creative services exports

UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution

Creative goods exports

Science & Technology

35th

Nobel prizes

Patents

Journal exports

International publications

International Students

Health & Wellbeing

53rd

Pharmaceutical exports

Voluntary excess donations to the WHO

Food aid

Humanitarian aid donations

International Health Regulations Compliance

See details ▽

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