Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Al-Ula

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,230 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Al-Ula

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

A single person spends $1,779 per month in Athens vs $1,230 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Athens $1,779
Al-Ula $1,230

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $1,822 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Athens $2,721
Al-Ula $1,822

A family of three spends $3,663 per month in Athens vs $2,414 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Athens $3,663
Al-Ula $2,414

Athens costs about 45% more than Al-Ula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Athens sits 32% above the global median, while Al-Ula is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$7.49 SAR 28.12

124.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$37.71 SAR 142

75.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$7.94 SAR 29.80

41.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 SAR 8.55

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.20 SAR 12.02

27.50%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.88 SAR 3.30

214.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.25 SAR 0.94

116.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.94 SAR 7.26

-5.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.24 SAR 4.64

15.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.35 SAR 8.81

13.62%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.43 SAR 9.11

103.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$7.55 SAR 28.35

99.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$8.07 SAR 30.29

36.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$12.55 SAR 47.10

57.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.13 SAR 8.00

-0.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.53 SAR 5.73

29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.56 SAR 5.86

-14.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.64 SAR 6.14

31.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.26 SAR 4.74

-15.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.28 SAR 4.79

-10.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.27 SAR 4.77

-14.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.55 SAR 2.05

54.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.28

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.76 SAR 25.38

-19.23%

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

$1.07 SAR 4.03

26.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$37.17 SAR 140

-17.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.65 SAR 9.96

43.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.56 SAR 5.85

-33.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$16.08 SAR 60.3

2.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.69 SAR 2.58

239.13%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$30.1K SAR 112.9K

-7.67%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$22.0K SAR 82.7K

20.69%

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

$202 €180

$112 SAR 419

81.25%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$32.23 SAR 121

-16.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$74.4 SAR 279

-59.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$83.8 SAR 315

-35.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$13.90 SAR 52.2

-24.89%

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

$568 €506

$460 SAR 1,728

23.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$11.0K SAR 41.3K

38.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$37.58 SAR 141

141.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$56.7 SAR 213

-30.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$99.3 SAR 373

5.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$84.9 SAR 318

52.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$604 SAR 2,266

22.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$393 SAR 1,474

65.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$900 SAR 3,379

41.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$612 SAR 2,296

83.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,857 SAR 6,969

115.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$1,089 SAR 4,088

201.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

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-Ula: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Al-Ula

$393 31.9% 39.4% $256

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Al-Ula

$204 16.6% 35.6% $113

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Al-Ula

$127 10.3% 53.3% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Al-Ula

$218 17.7% 15.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Al-Ula

$125 10.2% 23.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Al-Ula

$112 9.1% 48.9% $37

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Al-Ula

$52 4.2% 15.7% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $742 in Athens versus $604 in Al-Ula. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Athens versus $38 in Al-Ula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $204 – making Al-Ula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

02:43 2:43 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

32,413

💱 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-Ula 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Athens
Al-Ula

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-Ula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,779 in Athens, $1,230 in Al-Ula – Al-Ula comes out roughly 31% 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 $1,845 in Al-Ula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $604 there versus $742 in Athens.

Kindergarten costs $568 per month in Athens and $460 in Al-Ula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Athens, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,779 in Athens and $1,230 in Al-Ula, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.