Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Budaiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Budaiya: $811 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Budaiya
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Budaiya Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Budaiya

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Budaiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $811 in Budaiya.

Athens $1,779
Budaiya $811

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,289 in Budaiya.

Athens $2,721
Budaiya $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,767 in Budaiya.

Athens $3,663
Budaiya $1,767

Living in Athens is roughly 120% more expensive than in Budaiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Budaiya is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$5.25 BHD 1.98

220.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$53.5 BHD 20.18

23.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.44 BHD 2.43

74.07%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$5.01 BHD 1.89

-18.56%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.85 BHD 0.32

225.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.28 BHD 0.11

92.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$6.48 BHD 2.44

-12.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$9.88 BHD 3.73

-36.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.37 BHD 0.52

34.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.05 BHD 0.40

36.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.34 BHD 0.88

14.10%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.25 BHD 0.85

120.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$8.48 BHD 3.20

77.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$6.58 BHD 2.48

67.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$8.50 BHD 3.20

132.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.36 BHD 0.89

-10.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.31 BHD 0.87

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.89 BHD 0.71

-29.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.44 BHD 0.54

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.04 BHD 0.39

1.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.42 BHD 0.54

-19.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.56 BHD 0.59

-30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.77 BHD 0.29

10.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$5.27 BHD 1.99

3.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$18.87 BHD 7.12

-46.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$3.65 BHD 1.38

-44.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.59 BHD 0.98

-8.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$5.32 BHD 2.01

-28.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$3.47 BHD 1.31

-70.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$15.63 BHD 5.89

5.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.70 BHD 0.27

234.29%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$25.8K BHD 9,727

7.64%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$19.6K BHD 7,382

35.91%

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

$202 €180

$150 BHD 56.6

34.78%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$24.29 BHD 9.16

10.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$35.25 BHD 13.29

-13.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$10.65 BHD 4.01

-1.97%

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

$568 €505

$634 BHD 239

-10.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$11.0K BHD 4,162

37.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$51.3 BHD 19.35

76.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$58.1 BHD 21.91

-32.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$87.2 BHD 32.87

20.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$90.9 BHD 34.28

41.90%

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

6.21

-28.50%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Budaiya: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Budaiya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Budaiya

$250 30.8% 21.1% $67

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Budaiya

$178 22% 34.4% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Budaiya

$210 25.9% 19.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Budaiya

$129 16% 21.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Budaiya

$21 * 2.6% 71.6% $54

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Budaiya

$23 * 2.8% 49.5% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $54 in Budaiya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $250 per month, with Budaiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇧🇭 Budaiya

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

03:51 3:51 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

30,702

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Budaiya 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Budaiya

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 Budaiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budaiya wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Budaiya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $1,216 in Budaiya 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.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $634 in Budaiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Budaiya – a meal for two runs $54 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Budaiya is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Budaiya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.