Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Khobar: $1,471 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
Learn more

Al Khobar Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,471

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Al Khobar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,471 in Al Khobar.

Athens $1,779
Al Khobar $1,471

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,231 in Al Khobar.

Athens $2,721
Al Khobar $2,231

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,991 in Al Khobar.

Athens $3,663
Al Khobar $2,991

Living in Athens is roughly 21% more expensive than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 32% above, Al Khobar 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$6.74 SAR 25.29

149.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$60.2 SAR 226

9.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$8.14 SAR 30.57

37.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SAR 10.03

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$4.35 SAR 16.33

-6.21%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.94 SAR 3.54

194.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.41 SAR 1.53

31.71%

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

$1.65 SAR 6.18

11.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.24 SAR 4.67

15.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.46 SAR 9.24

8.54%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.35 SAR 8.81

110.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.42 SAR 27.86

103.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$10.09 SAR 37.87

8.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$11.69 SAR 43.86

69.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.72 SAR 10.20

-22.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.71 SAR 6.40

15.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.98 SAR 7.43

-32.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.74 SAR 6.52

24.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.42 SAR 5.33

-25.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.67 SAR 6.25

-31.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-34.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.53 SAR 2.01

60.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.62 SAR 9.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.80 SAR 25.50

-19.71%

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

$0.93 SAR 3.49

45.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$54.5 SAR 204

-43.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.76 SAR 6.61

116.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.68 SAR 10.07

-61.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$14.22 SAR 53.4

15.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.63 SAR 2.38

271.43%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$66.8K SAR 250.9K

-58.46%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

24.30%

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

$202 €180

$96.9 SAR 364

108.73%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$32.58 SAR 122

-17.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$68.3 SAR 256

-55.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$80.1 SAR 301

-32.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$36.17 SAR 136

-24.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$15.22 SAR 57.1

-31.41%

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

$568 €505

$599 SAR 2,249

-5.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$18.6K SAR 69.9K

-18.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$63.5 SAR 238

42.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$83.0 SAR 311

-52.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$97.4 SAR 366

8.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$94.8 SAR 356

35.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$762 SAR 2,860

-2.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$584 SAR 2,192

11.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$1,226 SAR 4,602

3.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$912 SAR 3,424

22.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,437 SAR 5,392

178.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,037 SAR 3,894

216.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,872 SAR 7,028

-33.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.88

-24.49%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Al Khobar

$584 39.7% 9.9% $64

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Al Khobar

$217 14.8% 31.4% $99

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Al Khobar

$136 9.2% 49.9% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Al Khobar

$198 13.4% 23.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Al Khobar

$152 10.4% 7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Al Khobar

$111 7.5% 47.5% $36

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Al Khobar

$73 5% 63.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $762 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 50% 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 $60 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $217 per month, with Al Khobar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

14:16 2:16 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

219,679

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Al Khobar 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Al Khobar

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 Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Khobar wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al Khobar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% 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 $762 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Athens runs roughly 44% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $599 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Al Khobar 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 Al Khobar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.