Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Baniyas

For one person, living is cheaper in Baniyas: $381 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Baniyas
Learn more

Baniyas Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Baniyas

🇸🇾 Syria

$381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Baniyas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $381 in Baniyas.

Athens $1,779
Baniyas $381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $672 in Baniyas.

Athens $2,721
Baniyas $672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $962 in Baniyas.

Athens $3,663
Baniyas $962

Living in Athens is roughly 367% more expensive than in Baniyas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Baniyas is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$1.96 SYP 239

758.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$41.80 SYP 5,079

57.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.87 SYP 834

63.17%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$0.49 SYP 59.4

732.65%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.99 SYP 120

179.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.29 SYP 34.91

86.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.48 SYP 180

285.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.89 SYP 472

60.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.78 SYP 94.7

135.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.42 SYP 50.9

240.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$0.97 SYP 118

175.26%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.17 SYP 142

323.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$3.41 SYP 414

342.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.57 SYP 677

97.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$13.87 SYP 1,686

42.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.52 SYP 63.5

307.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.02 SYP 124

94.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.31 SYP 38.14

329.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.52 SYP 63.4

315.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.31 SYP 38.00

241.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.39 SYP 46.85

194.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.44 SYP 53.0

145.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.67 SYP 81.4

26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.67 SYP 324

104.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$4.88 SYP 593

105.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.15 SYP 139

77.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.88 SYP 350

-17.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.20 SYP 23.90

575.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$7.92 SYP 963

285.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.98 SYP 119

288.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.48 SYP 180

-30.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$7.62 SYP 926

116.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.52 SYP 184

53.95%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$15.0K SYP 1.8M

85.01%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

40.08%

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

$202 €180

$19.97 SYP 2,427

912.62%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$3.94 SYP 479

580.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$45.58 SYP 5,538

-33.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.54 SYP 673

88.45%

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

$568 €505

$67.6 SYP 8,220

739.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$1,773 SYP 215.5K

756.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$7.81 SYP 949

1060.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$40.74 SYP 4,951

-3.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$59.4 SYP 7,222

77.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$59.4 SYP 7,218

117.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

14.25

-68.84%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Baniyas: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Baniyas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Baniyas

$146 38.2% 54% $171

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Baniyas

$62 16.4% 77% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Baniyas

$69 18.2% 73.2% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Baniyas

$75 19.8% 54% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Baniyas

$11 * 2.9% 85.2% $64

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Baniyas

$17 4.5% 61.9% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $42 in Baniyas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $146 per month, with Baniyas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇾 Baniyas

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

41,632

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Baniyas 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Baniyas

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 Baniyas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baniyas wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baniyas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $571 in Baniyas to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Baniyas – a meal for two runs $42 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $381 in Baniyas – Baniyas is about 79% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $381 in Baniyas versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baniyas but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Baniyas 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.