Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Alicante and in Athens: $1,803 and $1,806 a month, rent and utilities included.

88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
Learn more

Alicante Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,803

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,803 in Alicante versus $1,806 in Athens.

Alicante $1,803
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,791 in Alicante versus $2,731 in Athens.

Alicante $2,791
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,779 in Alicante versus $3,656 in Athens.

Alicante $3,779
Athens $3,656

Monthly costs are close between Alicante and Athens; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alicante 35% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.46 €17.36

$16.66 €14.87

16.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €60.0

$66.2 €59.1

1.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$11.06 €9.87

2.71%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$4.14 €3.69

-47.83%

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

$2.14 €1.91

$2.80 €2.50

-23.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$0.57 €0.51

131.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.94

$5.64 €5.03

-41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.98

$5.46 €4.87

-39.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.96 €1.75

-41.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.41 €1.26

19.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.83 €2.53

-40.28%

Eggs

$3.22 €2.87

$5.04 €4.50

-36.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.72 €15.82

$15.35 €13.70

15.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 €8.48

$10.34 €9.23

-8.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 €14.42

$18.97 €16.93

-14.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.17 €1.93

20.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.91 €1.70

9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.38 €1.23

32.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.20 €1.96

22.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.10 €0.98

67.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.13 €1.00

78.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.10 €0.99

13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$0.83 €0.74

-21.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.73 €6.00

$5.60 €4.99

20.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 €5.09

$10.19 €9.09

-44.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.18 €1.95

-44.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.45 €2.19

-12.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.38 €1.23

17.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.35 €23.51

$30.87 €27.55

-14.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.68

$4.37 €3.90

-31.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.04 €0.93

27.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 €15.15

$17.11 €15.27

-0.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.31 €2.07

-24.24%

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

$34.8K €31.1K

$28.0K €25.0K

24.48%

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

$28.9K €25.7K

$28.0K €25.0K

3.00%

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

$138 €123

$210 €187

-34.04%

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

$18.71 €16.70

$26.70 €23.83

-29.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.82 €26.61

$30.13 €26.89

-1.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.39 €36.94

$54.6 €48.72

-24.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 €15.23

$26.03 €23.23

-34.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 €8.50

$10.78 €9.62

-11.69%

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

$709 €633

$575 €513

23.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,531 €8,505

$13.1K €11.7K

-27.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 €74.9

$93.2 €83.1

-9.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.58 €31.75

$40.68 €36.30

-12.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 €86.5

$104 €92.9

-6.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.8

$128 €115

-17.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €907

$756 €674

34.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$837 €747

$652 €582

28.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 €1,517

$1,294 €1,154

31.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 €1,372

$1,163 €1,038

32.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,254 €3,797

$4,008 €3,577

6.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,066 €1,844

$3,452 €3,081

-40.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,925 €1,718

$1,243 €1,110

54.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

4.48

-33.26%

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

Last update for Alicante: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alicante

$837 46.2%

Athens

$652 36.5% 22.1% $185

Groceries & Markets

Alicante

$288 15.9%

Athens

$315 17.6% 9.4% $27

Eating Out

Alicante

$253 13.9%

Athens

$269 15% 6.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alicante

$187 10.3%

Athens

$267 14.9% 42.6% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Alicante

$145 8%

Athens

$165 9.2% 13.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Alicante

$60 3.3%

Athens

$76 4.3% 26% $16

Getting Around

Alicante

$42 2.3%

Athens

$46 2.6% 8.2% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,016 in Alicante and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 55% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67.0 in Alicante vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $315, with Alicante cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alicante

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

1 h ahead of Alicante

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,282

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alicante Athens 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Alicante
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

Alicante vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 55% higher in Alicante, 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: $1,016 in Alicante versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $709 in Alicante versus $575 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alicante – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,803 in Alicante versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,803 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alicante 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.

It comes down to priorities – Alicante wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.