Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Dammam and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,188 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ad Dammam and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ad Dammam and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,188 in Ad Dammam versus $1,779 in Athens.

Ad Dammam $1,188
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,803 in Ad Dammam versus $2,721 in Athens.

Ad Dammam $1,803
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,418 in Ad Dammam versus $3,663 in Athens.

Ad Dammam $2,418
Athens $3,663

Living in Ad Dammam costs roughly 33% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ad Dammam is 12% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$16.83 €14.99

-59.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 SAR 129

$66.0 €58.8

-47.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 SAR 24.84

$11.21 €9.98

-40.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 SAR 6.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SAR 8.32

Cappuccino

$3.02 SAR 11.33

$4.08 €3.64

-25.98%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 SAR 2.87

$2.77 €2.47

-72.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 SAR 0.59

$0.54 €0.48

-70.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

$1.84 €1.64

-6.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.84

$1.43 €1.27

-9.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 SAR 7.07

$2.67 €2.38

-29.59%

Eggs

$2.12 SAR 7.96

$4.95 €4.41

-57.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.47 SAR 28.04

$15.09 €13.44

-50.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 SAR 28.90

$10.99 €9.79

-29.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.77 SAR 47.93

$19.77 €17.60

-35.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.59

$2.12 €1.89

8.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

$1.98 €1.76

-17.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.16

$1.33 €1.18

23.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

$2.16 €1.92

-28.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 SAR 4.04

$1.06 €0.94

1.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.37

$1.15 €1.02

1.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 SAR 4.71

$1.08 €0.96

15.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 SAR 2.12

$0.85 €0.75

-34.12%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.21 SAR 15.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 SAR 5.49

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.92

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.80 SAR 29.28

$5.46 €4.86

42.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 SAR 3.30

$1.35 €1.20

-34.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.25 SAR 144

$30.52 €27.18

25.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 SAR 8.57

$3.81 €3.39

-40.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 SAR 5.08

$1.03 €0.92

31.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$16.49 €14.68

-15.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.28

$2.34 €2.09

-73.93%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.1K SAR 109.2K

$27.8K €24.7K

4.75%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.2K SAR 79.7K

$26.6K €23.7K

-20.17%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$130 SAR 489

$202 €180

-35.52%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.31 SAR 121

$26.81 €23.87

20.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 SAR 241

$30.49 €27.14

110.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.4 SAR 264

$54.1 €48.14

30.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.59 SAR 107

$27.40 €24.40

4.34%

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 SAR 50.3

$10.44 €9.30

28.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$414 SAR 1,554

$568 €505

-27.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

$15.2K €13.5K

-30.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.50 SAR 160

$90.7 €80.7

-53.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.93 SAR 184

$39.32 €35.01

24.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 SAR 360

$105 €93.7

-8.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.0 SAR 345

$129 €115

-28.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 SAR 1,993

$742 €661

-28.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 SAR 1,410

$648 €577

-42.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 SAR 3,553

$1,271 €1,132

-25.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 SAR 2,495

$1,122 €999

-40.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,479 SAR 5,552

$3,999 €3,561

-63.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$779 SAR 2,925

$3,281 €2,921

-76.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,508 SAR 5,659

$1,245 €1,109

21.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.44

32.88%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ad Dammam: November 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ad Dammam

$376 31.6%

Athens

$648 36.4% 72.6% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ad Dammam

$227 19.1%

Athens

$260 14.6% 14.4% $33

Groceries & Markets

Ad Dammam

$198 16.7%

Athens

$316 17.8% 59.5% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Ad Dammam

$126 10.6%

Athens

$164 9.2% 30.3% $38

Eating Out

Ad Dammam

$114 9.6%

Athens

$272 15.3% 139% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Ad Dammam

$97 8.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 22.9% $22

Getting Around

Ad Dammam

$51 4.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 11.7% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Ad Dammam and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34 in Ad Dammam vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $316 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

06:38 6:38 AM

1 h behind Ad Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

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Between locations

Ad Dammam Athens 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Ad Dammam
Athens

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ad Dammam vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Ad Dammam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $531 in Ad Dammam versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,188 per month in Ad Dammam versus $1,779 in Athens – Ad Dammam is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Athens runs roughly 20% less than in Ad Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ad Dammam is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ad Dammam and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.