Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and AL Kharj

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $953 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in AL Kharj
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AL Kharj Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in AL Kharj

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 AL Kharj actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,779 per month in Athens vs $953 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Athens $1,779
AL Kharj $953

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $1,459 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Athens $2,721
AL Kharj $1,459

A family of three spends $3,663 per month in Athens vs $1,965 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Athens $3,663
AL Kharj $1,965

Athens costs about 87% more than AL Kharj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Athens sits 32% above the global median, while AL Kharj is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.80 SAR 18.01

250.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$26.28 SAR 98.6

151.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$8.20 SAR 30.76

36.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.82

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.10 SAR 11.64

31.61%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.84 SAR 3.15

229.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.11 SAR 0.42

390.91%

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

$1.50 SAR 5.63

22.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.28 SAR 1.06

410.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.35 SAR 8.82

13.62%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.09 SAR 7.85

136.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$10.46 SAR 39.26

44.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.98 SAR 18.70

120.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$13.36 SAR 50.2

47.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.72 SAR 6.45

23.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.30 SAR 4.89

52.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.21 SAR 4.55

9.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.31 SAR 4.94

64.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.08 SAR 4.06

-1.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.08 SAR 4.05

6.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.55 SAR 2.07

96.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.54 SAR 2.01

57.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 SAR 3.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 SAR 9.21

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.40 SAR 24.02

-14.69%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$23.47 SAR 88.1

30.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.71 SAR 10.17

40.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.55 SAR 2.07

87.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$13.03 SAR 48.91

26.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.63 SAR 2.36

271.43%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$26.1K SAR 98.0K

6.31%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$22.3K SAR 83.6K

19.38%

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

$202 €180

$105 SAR 394

92.55%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$26.05 SAR 97.8

2.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$51.1 SAR 192

-40.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$72.3 SAR 271

-25.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$39.38 SAR 148

-30.42%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$14.19 SAR 53.3

-26.43%

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

$568 €505

$293 SAR 1,101

93.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$3,774 SAR 14.2K

302.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$57.0 SAR 214

59.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$53.4 SAR 200

-26.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$46.02 SAR 173

128.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$80.7 SAR 303

59.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$450 SAR 1,687

65.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$257 SAR 964

152.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$578 SAR 2,171

119.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$455 SAR 1,707

146.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$2,798 SAR 10.5K

-55.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.54

-19.86%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for AL Kharj: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

AL Kharj

$257 27% 60.4% $391

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

AL Kharj

$174 18.2% 45% $142

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

AL Kharj

$104 10.9% 61.7% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

AL Kharj

$182 19.1% 29.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

AL Kharj

$107 11.2% 34.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

AL Kharj

$101 10.6% 34.3% $26

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

AL Kharj

$29 * 3% 35.5% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $742 in Athens versus $450 in AL Kharj. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in AL Kharj are about 2.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Athens versus $26 in AL Kharj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $174 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 AL Kharj

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

16:48 4:48 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

425,300

💱 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 AL Kharj 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
AL Kharj

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

Athens vs AL Kharj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,779 in Athens, $953 in AL Kharj – AL Kharj comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,669 per month in Athens and $1,430 in AL Kharj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in AL Kharj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $450 there versus $742 in Athens.

Kindergarten costs $568 per month in Athens and $293 in AL Kharj. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 82% more in Athens, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in AL Kharj, where all-in costs run around $953, than in Athens at $1,779. In AL Kharj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward AL Kharj – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, AL Kharj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 46% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.