Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Algarve

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Algarve: $1,775 and $1,754 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Algarve
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Algarve Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Algarve

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Algarve

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

A single person spends $1,775 per month in Athens vs $1,754 in Algarve, rent included.

Athens $1,775
Algarve $1,754

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $2,601 in Algarve, rent included.

Athens $2,721
Algarve $2,601

A family of three spends $3,666 per month in Athens vs $3,447 in Algarve, rent included.

Athens $3,666
Algarve $3,447

Athens costs about 1% more than Algarve, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Athens and Algarve sit above the global median – Athens by 31%, Algarve by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.83 €14.97

-0.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$60.3 €53.6

12.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.56 €8.50

16.53%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.04 €2.71

32.57%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.89 €1.69

46.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.50 €1.34

-63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.26 €2.90

76.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.32 €2.96

64.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.15 €1.03

58.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.36 €1.21

1.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.47 €1.31

90.48%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.99 €3.55

21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$12.91 €11.48

16.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.00 €7.12

32.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$17.48 €15.55

5.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.24 €1.99

-1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.34 €1.19

41.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.74 €1.55

-21.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.23 €1.99

-5.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.86 €1.65

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.05 €1.82

-45.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.45 €1.29

-22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.82 €0.73

7.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.81 €6.06

-19.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.64 €5.02

79.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.98 €0.88

117.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.62 €1.44

38.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.14 €2.79

-56.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.94 €3.50

12.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.04 €0.93

-1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$16.65 €14.81

1.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.11 €1.88

6.64%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$33.5K €29.8K

-16.28%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.3K €34.1K

-26.29%

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

$205 €182

$149 €133

36.94%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$18.60 €16.54

43.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$32.28 €28.71

-5.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$36.89 €32.81

47.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$26.85 €23.88

-3.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.45 €8.41

10.26%

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

$569 €506

$657 €584

-13.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$15.3K €13.6K

-17.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$103 €92.0

-14.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$46.16 €41.06

-12.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$79.4 €70.6

32.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$67.9 €60.4

78.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,048 €932

-29.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$846 €753

-22.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,181 €1,940

-40.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,335 €1,188

-14.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$4,672 €4,156

-14.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,095 €2,753

11.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,194 €1,062

4.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.85

16.36%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Algarve: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Algarve

$846 48.2% 29.3% $192

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Algarve

$260 14.8% 16.1% $50

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Algarve

$236 13.5% 11.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Algarve

$200 11.4% 23.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Algarve

$134 7.6% 16.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Algarve

$56 3.2% 25.9% $20

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Algarve

$22 * 1.2% 51.6% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $741 in Athens versus $1,048 in Algarve. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Athens, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Athens versus $60.0 in Algarve. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $260 – making Algarve the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇹 Algarve

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Algarve 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Algarve

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 Algarve: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens costs about 1% more than Algarve, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,662 per month in Athens and $2,631 in Algarve. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Algarve, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,775 in Athens and $1,754 in Algarve. That's a gap of about 1%.

Kindergarten costs $569 per month in Athens and $657 in Algarve. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Algarve, where all-in costs run around $1,754, than in Athens at $1,775. In Algarve it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Algarve costs $1,754 versus $1,775 in Athens. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Algarve. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Athens makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.