Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Barcelos

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,190 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Barcelos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,190 in Barcelos.

Athens $1,775
Barcelos $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,885 in Barcelos.

Athens $2,721
Barcelos $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,579 in Barcelos.

Athens $3,666
Barcelos $2,579

Living in Athens is roughly 49% more expensive than in Barcelos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Barcelos is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$11.09 €9.86

50.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$48.16 €42.83

40.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$8.85 €7.87

25.88%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.84 €1.63

119.02%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.93 €1.72

43.52%

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

$3.37 €3.00

70.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$2.84 €2.52

91.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.11 €0.99

63.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.85 €1.65

-25.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.79 €1.59

56.42%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.30 €2.94

46.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$11.93 €10.61

26.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.04 €7.15

32.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.83 €13.19

24.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.98 €1.76

11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.37 €1.22

38.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.86 €1.65

-26.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.52 €2.24

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.72 €1.53

-37.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.84 €1.63

-39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.54 €1.37

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.97 €0.87

-9.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.56 €5.84

-16.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.58 €4.08

121.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.19 €1.05

78.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.20 €1.95

2.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.29 €2.03

-40.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$22.15 €19.70

34.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.27 €3.80

4.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.43 €1.27

-28.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$16.25 €14.46

4.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.15 €1.91

4.65%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$33.2K €29.5K

-15.55%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$37.8K €33.7K

-25.39%

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

$205 €182

$111 €98.8

84.24%

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

$26.65 €23.70

$17.73 €15.77

50.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$44.28 €39.39

-31.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.46

$38.52 €34.26

41.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$6.57 €5.84

293.91%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.12 €8.11

14.25%

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

$569 €506

$339 €302

67.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$6,374 €5,669

97.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$72.5 €64.5

22.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$37.75 €33.57

7.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$78.7 €70.0

33.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$105 €93.4

15.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$494 €439

50.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$357 €318

83.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$895 €796

45.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$696 €619

65.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,651 €2,358

51.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,510 €1,343

129.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,072 €954

15.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.7

21.08%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barcelos: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Barcelos

$357 30% 45.4% $297

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Barcelos

$255 21.4% 17.9% $56

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Barcelos

$173 14.5% 35.5% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Barcelos

$173 14.6% 33.9% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Barcelos

$132 11.1% 17.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Barcelos

$57 4.8% 24.7% $19

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Barcelos

$43 3.6% 4.9% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $494 in Barcelos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 16% 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 $48.00 in Barcelos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $255 per month, with Barcelos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

20:01 8:01 PM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

116,766

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Athens Barcelos 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Barcelos

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 Barcelos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelos wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Barcelos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $494 in Barcelos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelos – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,190 in Barcelos – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Barcelos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,190 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Barcelos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Barcelos 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 Barcelos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.