Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Cuenca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuenca: $1,665 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
Learn more

Cuenca Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Cuenca

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Cuenca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,665 in Cuenca.

Athens $1,775
Cuenca $1,665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,429 in Cuenca.

Athens $2,721
Cuenca $2,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,194 in Cuenca.

Athens $3,666
Cuenca $3,194

Living in Athens is roughly 7% more expensive than in Cuenca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Cuenca 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$17.02 €15.14

-1.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$44.99 €40.02

50.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.19 €8.17

21.22%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.04 €1.81

97.55%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.37 €2.11

16.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.55 €1.38

-64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.18 €1.94

163.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.41 €3.03

59.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.99 €0.88

83.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.98 €1.76

-30.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.54 €1.37

81.82%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.54 €2.26

90.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$16.25 €14.45

-7.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$9.06 €8.06

17.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$21.09 €18.76

-12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.62 €2.33

-16.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.42 €2.15

-21.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.49 €2.21

-44.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.99 €2.66

-29.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.99 €1.77

-45.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.23 €1.98

-49.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.85 €1.65

-39.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.66 €0.58

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.33 €5.63

-13.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.39 €3.90

130.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.98 €0.87

117.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.14 €1.90

5.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.64 €1.46

-17.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$32.14 €28.59

-7.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$2.33 €2.07

90.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.07 €0.95

-4.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$29.90 €26.60

-43.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.80 €1.60

25.00%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.1K €31.2K

-20.19%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$28.6K €25.4K

-1.32%

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

$205 €182

$165 €147

23.66%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$11.62 €10.34

129.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$21.65 €19.26

40.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$38.83 €34.54

40.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$15.99 €14.23

61.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.77 €7.80

18.81%

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

$569 €506

$341 €304

66.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$8,017 €7,131

56.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$91.7 €81.5

-3.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$38.71 €34.43

4.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$100 €89.1

4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$113 €101

7.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$912 €811

-18.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$687 €611

-4.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,328 €1,181

-2.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,015 €903

13.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,266 €2,905

22.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,234 €1,987

54.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,425 €1,268

-12.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.46

29.48%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cuenca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Cuenca

$687 41.3% 5% $33

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Cuenca

$300 18% 3.5% $11

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Cuenca

$222 13.3% 17.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Cuenca

$199 11.9% 24% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Cuenca

$155 9.3% 3.2% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Cuenca

$56 3.4% 25.2% $19

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Cuenca

$46 2.8% 3.3% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $912 in Cuenca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cuenca pays 15% 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 $45.00 in Cuenca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $300 per month, with Cuenca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 Cuenca

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

53,512

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Cuenca 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Cuenca

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 Cuenca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuenca wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cuenca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Cuenca. 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 $912 in Cuenca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuenca – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,665 in Cuenca – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,665 in Cuenca versus $1,775 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cuenca but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Cuenca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cuenca delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,665 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cuenca hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Cuenca 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 Cuenca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.