Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Birkirkara

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,024 in Birkirkara, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Birkirkara
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Birkirkara Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Birkirkara

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Birkirkara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,024 in Birkirkara.

Athens $1,775
Birkirkara $2,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,003 in Birkirkara.

Athens $2,721
Birkirkara $3,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,981 in Birkirkara.

Athens $3,666
Birkirkara $3,981

Living in Athens costs roughly 12% less than in Birkirkara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Birkirkara 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.96 €9.75

52.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$77.7 €69.1

-12.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$13.64 €12.14

-18.33%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.07 €2.73

31.27%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.24 €2.00

23.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.60 €1.42

-65.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.31 €2.94

73.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.40 €3.03

60.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.28 €1.14

42.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.28 €1.14

7.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.60 €3.20

-22.22%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.38 €3.00

42.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.26 €11.79

13.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$12.47 €11.09

-14.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$18.25 €16.23

0.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.62 €2.33

-16.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.03 €1.80

-6.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.14 €1.90

-35.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.81 €2.50

-25.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.38 €1.23

-21.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.99 €1.77

-43.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.92 €1.70

-41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.07 €0.95

-17.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.38 €5.67

-14.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$10.01 €8.90

1.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.26 €2.01

-5.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.75 €3.33

-40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.20 €1.95

-38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$27.75 €24.68

7.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.42 €4.82

-17.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.88 €2.56

-64.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$70.9 €63.1

-76.15%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

-13.13%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$41.1K €36.5K

-31.29%

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

$205 €182

$116 €103

76.46%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$29.28 €26.05

-8.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$31.12 €27.68

-2.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$65.4 €58.2

-16.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$28.71 €25.54

-9.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$13.57 €12.07

-23.21%

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

$569 €506

$415 €369

37.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$6,689 €5,950

88.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$141 €126

-37.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$58.4 €52.0

-30.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$106 €94.2

-0.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$161 €143

-24.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,150 €1,023

-35.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$959 €853

-31.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,698 €1,511

-23.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,432 €1,274

-19.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,906 €3,474

2.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,684 €2,388

28.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,847 €1,643

-32.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.79

-6.47%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Birkirkara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Birkirkara

$959 47.4% 46.6% $305

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Birkirkara

$326 16.1% 4.9% $15

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Birkirkara

$204 10.1% 23.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Birkirkara

$176 8.7% 32.6% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Birkirkara

$210 10.4% 31.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Birkirkara

$93 4.6% 22.8% $17

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Birkirkara

$56 2.8% 25.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,150 in Birkirkara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birkirkara pays 49% 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 $78.0 in Birkirkara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $326 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇹 Birkirkara

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

22,247

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Birkirkara 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Birkirkara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Birkirkara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Birkirkara. 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 $1,150 in Birkirkara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $78.0 in Birkirkara. 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 $2,024 in Birkirkara – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,024 in Birkirkara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Birkirkara. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Birkirkara 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Birkirkara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.