Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Albufeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,208 in Albufeira, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Albufeira outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Albufeira
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Albufeira Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Albufeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Albufeira

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,208 in Albufeira.

Athens $1,775
Albufeira $2,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,063 in Albufeira.

Athens $2,721
Albufeira $3,063

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,918 in Albufeira.

Athens $3,666
Albufeira $3,918

Living in Athens costs roughly 20% less than in Albufeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Albufeira 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$13.24 €11.78

26.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$55.7 €49.51

21.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.15 €9.03

9.75%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.57 €2.28

56.81%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.55 €1.38

78.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.32 €1.18

-58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.40 €3.03

68.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.33 €3.85

25.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.07 €0.95

70.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.20 €1.06

15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.55 €1.37

80.65%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.01 €2.67

60.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$15.68 €13.94

-4.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.01 €7.13

32.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$22.41 €19.94

-17.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.56 €2.28

-14.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.31 €1.16

45.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.87 €1.67

-26.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.14 €2.79

-33.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.79 €1.59

-39.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.82 €2.51

-60.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.57 €1.39

-28.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.54 €0.48

62.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.14 €5.46

-10.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.14 €4.57

97.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.34 €1.20

58.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.80 €1.60

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.05 €2.72

-55.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$55.2 €49.06

-45.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.56 €3.17

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.09 €0.97

-6.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$16.45 €14.63

2.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.02 €1.80

11.39%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$33.5K €29.8K

-16.24%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$32.7K €29.1K

-13.77%

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

$205 €182

$108 €96.0

89.50%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$21.27 €18.92

25.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$34.44 €30.64

-11.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$52.8 €47.00

3.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$11.28 €10.04

129.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.76 €7.79

18.95%

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

$569 €506

$482 €428

18.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$11.1K €9,837

13.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$105 €93.8

-15.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$45.52 €40.49

-11.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$83.3 €74.1

26.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$145 €129

-16.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,292 €1,149

-42.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,239 €1,102

-47.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,971 €2,642

-56.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,670 €1,485

-31.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,306 €2,051

74.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,233 €1,986

54.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,541 €1,371

-19.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.54

26.55%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Albufeira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Albufeira

$1.2K 56.1% 89.2% $584

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Albufeira

$283 12.8% 8.7% $27

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Albufeira

$204 9.3% 23.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Albufeira

$164 7.4% 37.4% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Albufeira

$171 7.7% 6.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Albufeira

$70 3.2% 6.6% $5

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Albufeira

$76 3.5% 70.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,292 in Albufeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albufeira pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $56.0 in Albufeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $283 per month, with Albufeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇹 Albufeira

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

44,168

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Albufeira 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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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 Albufeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens and Albufeira differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,775 vs $2,208 including rent). Athens is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Albufeira. 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: $741 in Athens versus $1,292 in Albufeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $482 in Albufeira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Albufeira pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,208 in Albufeira, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Albufeira. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Albufeira are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Albufeira. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.