Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Algarve and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Algarve and in Athens: $1,754 and $1,775 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Algarve
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Algarve Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Algarve

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,754

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,754 per month in Algarve vs $1,775 in Athens, rent included.

Algarve $1,754
Athens $1,775

A couple spends around $2,601 per month in Algarve vs $2,721 in Athens, rent included.

Algarve $2,601
Athens $2,721

A family of three spends $3,447 per month in Algarve vs $3,666 in Athens, rent included.

Algarve $3,447
Athens $3,666

Algarve is about 1% cheaper than Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Algarve and Athens sit above the global median – Algarve by 30%, Athens by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$16.69 €14.84

0.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 €53.6

$67.8 €60.3

-11.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 €8.50

$11.14 €9.91

-14.18%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.71

$4.03 €3.58

-24.57%

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

$1.89 €1.69

$2.77 €2.46

-31.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.55 €0.49

172.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.90

$5.74 €5.10

-43.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.96

$5.45 €4.85

-39.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.82 €1.62

-36.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.38 €1.23

-1.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.80 €2.49

-47.50%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.55

$4.83 €4.30

-17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.48

$15.05 €13.39

-14.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 €7.12

$10.63 €9.45

-24.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.48 €15.55

$18.43 €16.39

-5.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.20 €1.96

1.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.90 €1.69

-29.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.37 €1.22

27.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.10 €1.87

6.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.08 €0.96

72.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.12 €1.00

83.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.12 €1.00

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.88 €0.79

-6.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$5.48 €4.88

24.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$10.13 €9.01

-44.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.88

$2.13 €1.89

-53.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.25 €2.00

-28.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.79

$1.36 €1.21

130.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 €3.50

$4.45 €3.96

-11.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.02 €0.90

1.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.65 €14.81

$16.92 €15.05

-1.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.25 €2.00

-6.22%

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

$33.5K €29.8K

$28.0K €24.9K

19.45%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$28.2K €25.1K

35.66%

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

$149 €133

$205 €182

-26.97%

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

$18.60 €16.54

$26.65 €23.71

-30.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.28 €28.71

$30.38 €27.02

6.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.89 €32.81

$54.5 €48.47

-32.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.85 €23.88

$25.88 €23.02

3.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.45 €8.41

$10.42 €9.27

-9.31%

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

$657 €584

$569 €506

15.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K €13.6K

$12.6K €11.2K

21.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €92.0

$88.7 €78.9

16.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.16 €41.06

$40.46 €35.99

14.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 €70.6

$105 €93.3

-24.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 €60.4

$121 €108

-44.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €932

$741 €659

41.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 €753

$655 €582

29.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 €1,940

$1,300 €1,156

67.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,335 €1,188

$1,148 €1,021

16.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,672 €4,156

$4,014 €3,570

16.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,095 €2,753

$3,460 €3,078

-10.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,194 €1,062

$1,242 €1,105

-3.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.48

-14.06%

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

Last update for Algarve: 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

Algarve

$846 48.2%

Athens

$655 36.9% 22.6% $192

Groceries & Markets

Algarve

$260 14.8%

Athens

$310 17.5% 19.2% $50

Eating Out

Algarve

$236 13.5%

Athens

$268 15.1% 13.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Algarve

$200 11.4%

Athens

$262 14.7% 30.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Algarve

$134 7.6%

Athens

$160 9% 19.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Algarve

$56 3.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 35% $20

Getting Around

Algarve

$22 * 1.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 107% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,048 in Algarve versus $741 in Athens. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Athens, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Algarve versus $68.0 in Athens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $310 – making Algarve the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Algarve

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

04:59 4:59 AM

2 h ahead of Algarve

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Algarve Athens 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Algarve
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

Algarve vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens costs about 1% more than Algarve, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,631 per month in Algarve and $2,662 in Athens. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Algarve, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,754 in Algarve and $1,775 in Athens. That's a gap of about 1%.

Kindergarten costs $657 per month in Algarve and $569 in Athens. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Algarve, where all-in costs run around $1,754, than in Athens at $1,775. In Algarve it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Algarve costs $1,754 versus $1,775 in Athens. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Algarve. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Athens makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.