Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Alicante

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Alicante: $1,806 and $1,803 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Alicante

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,803 in Alicante.

Athens $1,806
Alicante $1,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,791 in Alicante.

Athens $2,731
Alicante $2,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,779 in Alicante.

Athens $3,656
Alicante $3,779

Monthly costs are close between Athens and Alicante; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Alicante 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$19.46 €17.36

-14.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$67.2 €60.0

-1.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$11.36 €10.14

-2.64%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.16 €1.93

91.67%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.14 €1.91

30.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.32 €1.18

-56.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.29 €2.94

71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.33 €2.98

63.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.15 €1.03

70.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.69 €1.51

-16.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.69 €1.51

67.46%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.22 €2.87

56.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$17.72 €15.82

-13.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$9.50 €8.48

8.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$16.16 €14.42

17.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.62 €2.33

-17.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.09 €1.86

-8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.83 €1.63

-24.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.69 €2.40

-18.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.84 €1.64

-40.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$2.02 €1.80

-44.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.25 €1.12

-12.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.65 €0.58

27.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$6.73 €6.00

-16.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$5.70 €5.09

78.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.20 €1.07

81.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.15 €1.92

13.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.62 €1.44

-14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$26.35 €23.51

17.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$3.00 €2.68

45.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.33 €1.19

-21.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$16.98 €15.15

0.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.75 €1.56

32.00%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$34.8K €31.1K

-19.67%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$28.9K €25.7K

-2.91%

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

$210 €187

$138 €123

51.61%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$18.71 €16.70

42.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$29.82 €26.61

1.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$41.39 €36.94

31.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$17.06 €15.23

52.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$9.52 €8.50

13.24%

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

$575 €513

$709 €633

-18.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$9,531 €8,505

37.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$83.9 €74.9

11.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$35.58 €31.75

14.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$96.9 €86.5

7.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$106 €94.8

20.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,016 €907

-25.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$837 €747

-22.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,700 €1,517

-23.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,537 €1,372

-24.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$4,254 €3,797

-5.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$2,066 €1,844

67.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,925 €1,718

-35.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.99

49.83%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Alicante: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Alicante

$837 46.2% 28.3% $185

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Alicante

$288 15.9% 8.6% $27

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Alicante

$253 13.9% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Alicante

$187 10.3% 29.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Alicante

$145 8% 11.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Alicante

$60 3.3% 20.7% $16

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Alicante

$42 2.3% 7.6% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,016 in Alicante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 55% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $67.0 in Alicante. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $288, with Alicante cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 Alicante

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

10:29 10:29 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

349,282

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Alicante 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Alicante

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 Alicante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Alicante. 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: $756 in Athens versus $1,016 in Alicante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in Athens versus $709 in Alicante. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alicante – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,803 in Alicante versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,803 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

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

It comes down to priorities – Alicante wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.