Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and El Medano

For one person, living is cheaper in El Medano: $1,447 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
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El Medano Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in El Medano

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,447 in El Medano.

Athens $1,775
El Medano $1,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,394 in El Medano.

Athens $2,721
El Medano $2,394

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,342 in El Medano.

Athens $3,666
El Medano $3,342

Living in Athens is roughly 23% more expensive than in El Medano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, El Medano 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$20.37 €18.12

-18.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$61.7 €54.9

9.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.38 €10.13

-2.11%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.99 €1.77

102.51%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.90 €1.69

45.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.30 €1.16

-57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.76 €2.45

107.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.28 €2.91

66.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.32 €1.18

37.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.41 €2.14

-42.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.59 €1.41

76.10%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.18 €3.72

15.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$14.57 €12.96

3.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$9.25 €8.23

14.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$17.98 €15.99

2.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.48 €2.21

-11.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.28 €2.03

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.25 €2.00

-39.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.53 €2.25

-17.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.10 €1.87

-48.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.93 €1.72

-41.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.64 €1.46

-31.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.98 €0.87

-10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.52 €4.91

-0.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.73 €6.88

31.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.68 €1.50

26.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.38 €1.23

63.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.67 €1.49

-18.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$25.49 €22.67

17.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.08 €3.63

9.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.73 €1.54

-41.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$16.58 €14.75

2.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.25 €1.11

80.00%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$27.1K €24.1K

3.29%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$28.8K €25.7K

-2.14%

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

$205 €182

$98.8 €87.9

107.11%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$22.46 €19.98

18.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$35.17 €31.28

-13.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$44.58 €39.66

22.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$15.75 €14.01

64.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.90 €8.81

5.25%

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

$569 €506

$407 €362

39.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,118 €4,553

145.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$92.2 €82.0

-3.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$41.86 €37.24

-3.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$90.2 €80.3

16.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$114 €102

6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$895 €796

-17.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$468 €416

39.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,354 €1,205

-4.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,027 €913

11.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,258 €2,898

23.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,228 €1,982

55.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.56

25.84%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for El Medano: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

El Medano

$468 32.3% 28.5% $187

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

El Medano

$307 21.2% 1.1% $3.4

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

El Medano

$254 17.6% 5.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

El Medano

$156 10.8% 40.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

El Medano

$152 10.5% 4.7% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

El Medano

$64 4.5% 14.5% $11

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

El Medano

$45 3.1% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $895 in El Medano. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $62.0 in El Medano for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $307 per month, with El Medano cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 El Medano

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

2,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens El Medano 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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El Medano

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 El Medano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $2,171 in El Medano 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $895 in El Medano. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in El Medano – a meal for two runs $62.0 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 $1,447 in El Medano – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,447 in El Medano versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Medano but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes El Medano the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but El Medano delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,447 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes El Medano hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and El Medano 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 El Medano gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.