Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Ad Dammam

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.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Athens $1,779
Ad Dammam $1,188

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

Athens $2,721
Ad Dammam $1,803

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

Athens $3,663
Ad Dammam $2,418

Living in Athens is roughly 50% more expensive than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$6.74 SAR 25.28

149.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$34.35 SAR 129

92.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.62 SAR 24.84

69.34%

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

$4.08 €3.64

$3.02 SAR 11.33

35.10%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.77 SAR 2.87

259.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.16 SAR 0.59

237.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.72 SAR 6.47

6.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.29 SAR 4.84

10.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.88 SAR 7.07

42.02%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.12 SAR 7.96

133.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.47 SAR 28.04

102.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$7.70 SAR 28.90

42.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$12.77 SAR 47.93

54.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.29 SAR 8.59

-7.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.63 SAR 6.13

21.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.64 SAR 6.16

-18.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.55 SAR 5.83

39.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.08 SAR 4.04

-1.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.17 SAR 4.37

-1.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.25 SAR 4.71

-13.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.56 SAR 2.12

51.79%

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)

$5.46 €4.86

$7.80 SAR 29.28

-30.00%

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)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.88 SAR 3.30

53.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$38.25 SAR 144

-20.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.28 SAR 8.57

67.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.35 SAR 5.08

-23.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$13.89 SAR 52.1

18.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.61 SAR 2.28

283.61%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$29.1K SAR 109.2K

-4.54%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$21.2K SAR 79.7K

25.27%

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

$202 €180

$130 SAR 489

55.09%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$32.31 SAR 121

-17.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$64.2 SAR 241

-52.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$70.4 SAR 264

-23.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$28.59 SAR 107

-4.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$13.39 SAR 50.3

-22.03%

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

$568 €505

$414 SAR 1,554

37.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

44.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$42.50 SAR 160

113.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$48.93 SAR 184

-19.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$96.0 SAR 360

9.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$92.0 SAR 345

40.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$531 SAR 1,993

39.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$376 SAR 1,410

72.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$947 SAR 3,553

34.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$665 SAR 2,495

68.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,479 SAR 5,552

170.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$779 SAR 2,925

320.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,508 SAR 5,659

-17.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.9

-24.75%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Ad Dammam

$376 31.6% 42.1% $273

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Ad Dammam

$198 16.7% 37.3% $118

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Ad Dammam

$114 9.6% 58.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Ad Dammam

$227 19.1% 12.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Ad Dammam

$126 10.6% 23.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Ad Dammam

$97 8.2% 29.6% $22

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Ad Dammam

$51 4.3% 13.2% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $531 in Ad Dammam. 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: $66 in Athens vs $34 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $198 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

903,312

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

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Athens
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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

Athens vs Ad Dammam: 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.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Athens. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,188 in Ad Dammam – 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, Athens and Ad Dammam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.