Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Catania

For one person, living is cheaper in Catania: $1,512 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Catania
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Catania Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Catania

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,512

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Catania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,512 in Catania.

Athens $1,806
Catania $1,512

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,354 in Catania.

Athens $2,731
Catania $2,354

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,197 in Catania.

Athens $3,656
Catania $3,197

Living in Athens is roughly 19% more expensive than in Catania, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Catania 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$16.57 €14.79

0.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$56.1 €50.0

18.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$11.02 €9.84

0.36%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.21 €1.97

87.33%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.93 €2.62

-4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.90 €1.70

-70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$6.91 €6.17

-18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$4.32 €3.85

26.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.22 €1.09

60.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.67 €1.49

-15.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.64 €2.36

7.20%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.58 €3.20

40.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$11.18 €9.98

37.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$11.75 €10.49

-12.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$15.53 €13.86

22.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.02 €1.80

7.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.74 €1.56

9.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.56 €1.39

-11.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.00 €2.68

-26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.76 €1.57

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.30 €1.16

-13.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.24 €1.11

-11.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.47 €0.42

76.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$6.55 €5.85

-14.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$7.87 €7.03

29.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.76 €1.57

23.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.60 €1.43

53.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.60 €1.43

-13.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$36.34 €32.43

-15.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.16 €1.93

6.94%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$36.1K €32.2K

-22.52%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$36.0K €32.1K

-22.21%

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

$210 €187

$312 €279

-32.85%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$10.27 €9.16

159.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$35.53 €31.71

-15.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$61.1 €54.6

-10.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$14.21 €12.68

83.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$9.56 €8.53

12.76%

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

$575 €513

$444 €396

29.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$6,653 €5,937

97.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$85.5 €76.3

9.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$33.16 €29.59

22.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$86.2 €77.0

20.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$126 €113

1.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$609 €543

24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$370 €330

76.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,083 €966

19.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$755 €674

54.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$2,302 €2,054

74.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$1,503 €1,341

129.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,772 €1,582

-29.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.55

26.20%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Catania: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Catania

$370 24.1% 43.3% $282

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Catania

$281 18.3% 10.8% $34

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Catania

$255 16.6% 5.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Catania

$358 23.3% 34.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Catania

$149 9.7% 9.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Catania

$80 5.2% 5.4% $4.1

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Catania

$43 * 2.8% 7% $3.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $609 in Catania. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Catania pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $56.0 in Catania for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $281 per month, with Catania cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇹 Catania

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

298,037

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Catania 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Catania

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 Catania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Catania wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Catania the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Catania. 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: $756 in Athens versus $609 in Catania. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Catania – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,512 in Catania – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,512 in Catania versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Catania but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Catania the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Catania delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,512 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Catania hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Catania 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 Catania gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.