Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atenas and Ponta Delgada

For one person, living is cheaper in Atenas: $1,548 a month against $1,660 in Ponta Delgada, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ponta Delgada outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Ponta Delgada
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Ponta Delgada Living Index

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Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Atenas and in Ponta Delgada

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Atenas vs $1,660 in Ponta Delgada, rent included.

Atenas $1,548
Ponta Delgada $1,660

A couple spends around $2,527 per month in Atenas vs $2,363 in Ponta Delgada, rent included.

Atenas $2,527
Ponta Delgada $2,363

A family of three spends $3,506 per month in Atenas vs $3,067 in Ponta Delgada, rent included.

Atenas $3,506
Ponta Delgada $3,067

Atenas is about 7% cheaper than Ponta Delgada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Atenas and Ponta Delgada sit above the global median – Atenas by 14%, Ponta Delgada by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.66 ₡4,359

$13.61 €12.23

-29.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 ₡25.4K

$44.83 €40.28

25.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 ₡5,318

$10.72 €9.64

9.98%

Cappuccino

$3.83 ₡1,726

$1.84 €1.65

108.15%

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

$2.77 ₡1,248

$1.83 €1.65

51.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡875

$1.84 €1.66

5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,524

$3.15 €2.83

7.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 ₡2,004

$3.60 €3.24

23.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$0.93 €0.84

156.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,383

$1.58 €1.42

94.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,015

$1.79 €1.61

25.70%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,570

$3.09 €2.77

12.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,845

$16.78 €15.08

-36.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 ₡4,308

$11.35 €10.20

-15.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 ₡4,699

$17.07 €15.34

-39.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 ₡2,038

$2.34 €2.10

93.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.66 €1.49

-2.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 ₡1,197

$2.17 €1.95

22.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 ₡1,107

$3.10 €2.78

-20.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,718

$1.54 €1.39

147.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ₡1,173

$1.62 €1.45

60.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡505

$2.80 €2.52

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₡1,404

$1.07 €0.96

190.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 ₡2,725

$5.12 €4.60

17.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 ₡8,493

$5.79 €5.20

225.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,187

$2.36 €2.12

11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,204

$3.13 €2.81

-14.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 ₡997

$1.66 €1.49

33.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 €50.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,126

$5.51 €4.95

-54.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡709

$1.42 €1.27

10.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 ₡3,916

$5.74 €5.15

51.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡677

$1.98 €1.78

-24.24%

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

$33.7K ₡15.2M

$33.7K €30.3K

0.17%

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

$42.1K ₡19.0M

$39.1K €35.2K

7.47%

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

$94.0 ₡42.4K

$143 €128

-34.27%

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

$35.77 ₡16.1K

$18.68 €16.79

91.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 ₡23.6K

$43.32 €38.92

20.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.83 ₡21.6K

$33.39 €30.00

43.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 ₡4,993

$19.50 €17.52

-43.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ₡3,405

$9.24 €8.30

-18.29%

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

$975 ₡440.1K

$285 €256

242.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,667 ₡3.0M

$6,594 €5,925

1.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.5K

$47.31 €42.51

52.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 ₡24.5K

$33.91 €30.47

59.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡57.1K

$65.9 €59.3

91.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.8K

$136 €122

-4.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₡300.5K

$1,152 €1,035

-42.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 ₡248.1K

$689 €619

-20.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 ₡693.5K

$1,401 €1,259

9.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 ₡561.4K

$931 €837

33.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,033 €3,624

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,977 €2,675

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,330 ₡600.4K

$1,387 €1,246

-4.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.71

132.35%

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

Last update for Atenas: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ponta Delgada: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atenas

$550 35.5%

Ponta Delgada

$689 41.5% 25.3% $139

Groceries & Markets

Atenas

$358 23.2%

Ponta Delgada

$310 18.7% 13.4% $48

Eating Out

Atenas

$203 13.1%

Ponta Delgada

$201 12.1% 1.1% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atenas

$182 11.8%

Ponta Delgada

$205 12.4% 12.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Atenas

$172 11.1%

Ponta Delgada

$128 7.7% 26% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Atenas

$63 4.1%

Ponta Delgada

$52 3.1% 17.6% $11

Getting Around

Atenas

$19 * 1.2%

Ponta Delgada

$75 4.5% 292% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $666 in Atenas versus $1,152 in Ponta Delgada. 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 Ponta Delgada, 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 $56 in Atenas versus $45 in Ponta Delgada. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $310 – making Ponta Delgada the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Atenas

🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

5 h ahead of Atenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

67,233

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Atenas Ponta Delgada 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Atenas
Ponta Delgada

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

Atenas vs Ponta Delgada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ponta Delgada is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Atenas and $2,489 in Ponta Delgada. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $666 there versus $1,152 in Ponta Delgada.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Atenas and $45 in Ponta Delgada. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Ponta Delgada – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,548 in Atenas and $1,660 in Ponta Delgada. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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 Atenas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ponta Delgada makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.