Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,372 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
Learn more

Dhahran Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Dhahran

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,372 in Dhahran.

Athens $1,779
Dhahran $1,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,754 in Dhahran.

Athens $2,721
Dhahran $1,754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,135 in Dhahran.

Athens $3,663
Dhahran $2,135

Living in Athens is roughly 30% more expensive than in Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 32% above, Dhahran 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.06

$5.45 SAR 20.46

208.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €59.1

$39.37 SAR 148

67.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €10.03

$6.20 SAR 23.26

80.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 SAR 7.02

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.65

$4.01 SAR 15.05

1.75%

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

$2.77 €2.48

$0.69 SAR 2.61

301.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.18 SAR 0.67

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.60

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.56 SAR 5.85

17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.95 SAR 3.57

50.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$1.98 SAR 7.42

34.85%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.43

$3.72 SAR 13.95

33.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.51

$8.51 SAR 31.95

77.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.83

$11.24 SAR 42.19

-2.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.69

$13.53 SAR 50.8

46.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.09 SAR 7.86

1.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.39 SAR 5.20

42.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.75 SAR 6.57

-24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.75 SAR 6.56

23.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.55 SAR 5.83

-31.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.93 SAR 3.48

23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.94 SAR 7.28

-44.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.85 SAR 3.18

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.92 SAR 18.47

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.88

$5.44 SAR 20.42

0.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.90 SAR 3.36

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.31

$55.5 SAR 208

-45.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.41

$1.73 SAR 6.48

120.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$3.39 SAR 12.73

-69.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.75

$14.15 SAR 53.1

16.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$0.60 SAR 2.26

290.00%

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

$27.8K €24.8K

$36.1K SAR 135.4K

-23.01%

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

$26.6K €23.8K

$21.6K SAR 80.9K

23.44%

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

$202 €181

$59.8 SAR 224

238.44%

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

$26.81 €23.99

$43.66 SAR 164

-38.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.28

$66.1 SAR 248

-53.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.38

$193 SAR 724

-71.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.52

$91.5 SAR 343

-70.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.34

$10.70 SAR 40.14

-2.43%

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

$568 €508

$66.1 SAR 248

758.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.6K

$14.4K SAR 54.0K

5.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €81.1

$51.1 SAR 192

77.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.19

$42.90 SAR 161

-8.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$75.2 SAR 282

39.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$89.2 SAR 335

44.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €664

$363 SAR 1,362

104.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €580

$451 SAR 1,695

43.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,138

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,004

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,578

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,936

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,114

$2,835 SAR 10.6K

-56.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

4.5

-1.33%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Dhahran: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Dhahran

$452 32.9% 30.4% $197

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Dhahran

$229 16.7% 27.5% $87

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Dhahran

$114 8.3% 58.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Dhahran

$170 12.4% 34.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Dhahran

$116 8.5% 29% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Dhahran

$214 15.6% 186% $139

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Dhahran

$78 5.7% 73.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $363 in Dhahran. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhahran pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $39 in Dhahran for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $229 per month, with Dhahran cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

00:26 12:26 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

120,521

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Athens Dhahran 2,790 km ≈ 4 h 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 Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhahran wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dhahran the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Athens. 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: $742 in Athens versus $363 in Dhahran. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhahran – a meal for two runs $39 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,372 in Dhahran – Dhahran is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Dhahran 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 Dhahran are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.