Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Chaves

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Chaves

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,064 in Chaves.

Athens $1,771
Chaves $1,064

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $1,607 in Chaves.

Athens $2,736
Chaves $1,607

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $2,150 in Chaves.

Athens $3,701
Chaves $2,150

Living in Athens is roughly 66% more expensive than in Chaves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Chaves is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$7.99 €7.10

110.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$22.32 €19.86

205.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$7.78 €6.92

46.92%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$1.54 €1.37

163.64%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$1.49 €1.33

83.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.57 €0.51

-7.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$2.28 €2.03

149.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$2.73 €2.43

108.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.02 €0.90

81.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.14 €1.01

26.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.13 €1.01

149.56%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$3.05 €2.71

59.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$6.23 €5.54

145.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$6.53 €5.81

58.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$10.26 €9.12

86.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.14 €1.01

94.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.15 €1.02

66.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.11 €0.98

27.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.10 €0.97

85.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.02 €1.80

-48.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.13 €1.01

3.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.41 €1.26

-23.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.79 €0.70

6.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$5.97 €5.31

-8.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$4.03 €3.58

152.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.15 €1.02

85.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.15 €1.02

98.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.87 €0.77

57.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$27.67 €24.61

7.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$3.97 €3.53

10.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.68 €0.61

47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$19.78 €17.60

-15.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.95 €1.73

22.05%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$34.1K €30.4K

-16.77%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$37.6K €33.4K

-27.62%

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

$203 €181

$134 €119

52.24%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$17.81 €15.84

50.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$31.69 €28.19

-4.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$25.25 €22.46

112.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$5.49 €4.88

380.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$7.14 €6.35

48.32%

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

$566 €504

$223 €199

153.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$3,620 €3,220

255.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$71.9 €63.9

23.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$22.56 €20.07

79.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$63.0 €56.1

64.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$90.2 €80.3

37.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$478 €425

52.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$378 €336

71.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$951 €846

39.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$736 €655

58.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$1,870 €1,663

115.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$1,472 €1,310

136.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$1,015 €903

22.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

49.33%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Chaves

$378 35.5% 41.6% $270

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Chaves

$182 17.2% 41.6% $130

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Chaves

$131 12.3% 51.6% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Chaves

$183 17.2% 29.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Chaves

$111 10.5% 30.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Chaves

$40 3.7% 47.2% $35

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Chaves

$39 3.6% 13.6% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $478 in Chaves. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 22% 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 $22.00 in Chaves for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $182 per month, with Chaves cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇹 Chaves

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

11:54 11:54 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

37,592

💱 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 Chaves 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Chaves

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 Chaves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaves wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chaves the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% 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: $729 in Athens versus $478 in Chaves. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chaves – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $1,064 in Chaves – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,064 in Chaves versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chaves but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Chaves the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chaves delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,064 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chaves hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Chaves 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 Chaves gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.