Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Birgu

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Birgu: $1,775 and $1,731 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
Learn more

Birgu Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Birgu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,731 in Birgu.

Athens $1,775
Birgu $1,731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,817 in Birgu.

Athens $2,721
Birgu $2,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,902 in Birgu.

Athens $3,666
Birgu $3,902

Living in Athens is roughly 3% more expensive than in Birgu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Birgu 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$19.77 €17.58

-15.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$87.6 €77.9

-22.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.87 €10.56

-6.15%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.64 €2.35

52.65%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.29 €2.04

20.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.72 €1.53

-68.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$4.48 €3.98

28.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.18 €4.61

5.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.36 €1.21

33.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.34 €1.19

2.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$4.21 €3.74

-33.49%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.05 €3.60

19.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.31 €7.39

81.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.59 €7.64

23.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$15.33 €13.63

20.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.77 €2.46

-20.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.26 €1.12

50.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.82 €2.51

-51.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.77 €2.46

-24.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.20 €1.96

-50.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.69 €1.51

-33.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.30 €2.05

-51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.87 €0.77

1.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.82 €6.06

-19.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$8.32 €7.40

21.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.59 €1.42

33.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.44 €2.17

-7.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.34 €2.08

-41.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$13.80 €12.27

116.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.42 €4.82

-17.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.09 €0.97

-6.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$27.03 €24.04

-37.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.46 €1.30

54.11%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$26.0K €23.2K

7.66%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$32.7K €29.1K

-13.57%

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

$205 €182

$103 €91.3

99.26%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$25.53 €22.70

4.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$33.11 €29.45

-8.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$43.55 €38.74

25.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$66.5 €59.2

-61.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.89 €8.80

5.36%

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

$569 €506

$371 €330

53.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$2,023 €1,799

522.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$25.33 €22.53

250.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$33.87 €30.13

19.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$100 €89.1

4.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$110 €97.4

10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$980 €872

-24.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$798 €709

-17.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,785 €1,588

-27.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,534 €1,365

-25.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$4,050 €3,603

-0.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,820 €2,509

22.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,873 €1,666

-33.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.9

54.48%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Birgu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Birgu

$798 46.1% 21.8% $143

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Birgu

$279 16.2% 10% $31

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Birgu

$274 15.8% 2.3% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Birgu

$161 9.3% 38.3% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Birgu

$121 7% 24.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Birgu

$63 3.7% 15.9% $12

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Birgu

$34 2% 24.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $980 in Birgu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $88.0 in Birgu. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $279, with Birgu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇹 Birgu

🕒 Local time

18:54 6:54 PM

17:54 5:54 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

2,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Birgu 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Birgu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birgu wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Birgu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Birgu. 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 $980 in Birgu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Birgu – a meal for two runs $88.0 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 $1,731 in Birgu – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,731 in Birgu versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Birgu but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Birgu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Birgu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,731 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Birgu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Birgu 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 Birgu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.