Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcala de Henares and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $1,932 in Alcala de Henares, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alcala de Henares outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,932

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alcala de Henares 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 Alcala de Henares and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,932 in Alcala de Henares versus $1,775 in Athens.

Alcala de Henares $1,932
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,723 in Alcala de Henares versus $2,721 in Athens.

Alcala de Henares $2,723
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,515 in Alcala de Henares versus $3,666 in Athens.

Alcala de Henares $3,515
Athens $3,666

Living in Alcala de Henares is roughly 9% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alcala de Henares 43% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.00 €15.12

$16.69 €14.84

1.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €58.5

$67.8 €60.3

-3.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.86

$11.14 €9.91

-0.54%

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.42

$4.03 €3.58

-32.51%

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

$3.34 €2.97

$2.77 €2.46

20.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.55 €0.49

240.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 €3.52

$5.74 €5.10

-31.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 €4.13

$5.45 €4.85

-14.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.05

$1.82 €1.62

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.38 €1.23

12.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.80 €2.49

-38.57%

Eggs

$2.96 €2.64

$4.83 €4.30

-38.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.99 €19.56

$15.05 €13.39

46.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 €8.18

$10.63 €9.45

-13.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.25 €15.35

$18.43 €16.39

-6.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.20 €1.96

21.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.90 €1.69

21.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.37 €1.22

59.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.10 €1.87

22.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.08 €0.96

97.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.12 €1.00

90.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.12 €1.00

40.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$0.88 €0.79

-20.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.44

$5.48 €4.88

11.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €6.98

$10.13 €9.01

-22.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$2.13 €1.89

-42.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.25 €2.00

-4.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.36 €1.21

7.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.53 €41.39

$29.89 €26.59

55.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 €3.38

$4.45 €3.96

-14.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.02 €0.90

89.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.26 €20.69

$16.92 €15.05

37.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.25 €2.00

-20.00%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$28.0K €24.9K

27.36%

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

$30.3K €26.9K

$28.2K €25.1K

7.24%

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

$189 €168

$205 €182

-7.71%

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

$19.65 €17.48

$26.65 €23.71

-26.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.18 €26.85

$30.38 €27.02

-0.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.29 €35.84

$54.5 €48.47

-26.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.12 €7.22

$25.88 €23.02

-68.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.43 €8.39

$10.42 €9.27

-9.50%

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

$178 €159

$569 €506

-68.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,820 €5,177

$12.6K €11.2K

-53.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 €65.6

$88.7 €78.9

-16.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.52 €32.48

$40.46 €35.99

-9.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 €69.6

$105 €93.3

-25.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 €83.9

$121 €108

-22.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 €859

$741 €659

30.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$879 €782

$655 €582

34.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,858 €1,653

$1,300 €1,156

43.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 €1,016

$1,148 €1,021

-0.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,260 €3,789

$4,014 €3,570

6.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,507 €3,119

$3,460 €3,078

1.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 €1,544

$1,242 €1,105

39.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

4.48

-29.91%

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

Last update for Alcala de Henares: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alcala de Henares

$879 45.5%

Athens

$655 36.9% 25.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Alcala de Henares

$310 16.1%

Athens

$310 17.5% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

Alcala de Henares

$252 13%

Athens

$268 15.1% 6.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.4%

Athens

$262 14.7% 9.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.6%

Athens

$160 9% 25.6% $33

Getting Around

Alcala de Henares

$66 3.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 31.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Alcala de Henares

$59 3.1%

Athens

$75 4.2% 27.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $966 in Alcala de Henares and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcala de Henares pays 40% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Alcala de Henares vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $310 per month, with Alcala de Henares cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

13:19 1:19 PM

1 h ahead of Alcala de Henares

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

199,184

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alcala de Henares Athens 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alcala de Henares
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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

Alcala de Henares vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alcala de Henares and Athens differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,932 vs $1,775 including rent). Athens is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Alcala de Henares, 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: $966 in Alcala de Henares versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $178 in Alcala de Henares versus $569 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Alcala de Henares pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,932 in Alcala de Henares, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Alcala de Henares. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Alcala de Henares and Athens are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Alcala de Henares. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.