Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Elche

For one person, living is cheaper in Elche: $1,511 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Elche
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Elche Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Elche

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Elche

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,511 in Elche.

Athens $1,771
Elche $1,511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,225 in Elche.

Athens $2,736
Elche $2,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $2,940 in Elche.

Athens $3,701
Elche $2,940

Living in Athens is roughly 17% more expensive than in Elche, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Elche 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$16.76 €14.90

0.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$57.1 €50.8

19.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$11.31 €10.06

1.06%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$2.50 €2.22

62.40%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$2.31 €2.06

18.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.84 €1.63

-71.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$3.33 €2.96

70.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$3.43 €3.05

65.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.16 €1.03

59.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.59 €1.41

-9.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.62 €1.44

74.07%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$2.97 €2.64

63.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$14.46 €12.86

5.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$8.20 €7.29

26.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$13.52 €12.02

41.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.57 €2.28

-13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.00 €1.78

-4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.91 €1.70

-26.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.42 €2.15

-15.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.74 €1.55

-39.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.88 €1.67

-37.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.07 €0.95

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.65 €0.58

29.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$6.37 €5.67

-13.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$5.45 €4.85

86.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.02 €0.90

108.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.96 €0.86

137.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.50 €1.33

-8.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$22.74 €20.23

30.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$3.16 €2.81

38.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.81 €0.72

23.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$16.50 €14.67

0.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.81 €1.61

31.49%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$31.9K €28.4K

-11.04%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$31.0K €27.6K

-12.30%

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

$203 €181

$143 €127

42.38%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$17.45 €15.53

53.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$27.38 €24.36

10.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$46.24 €41.13

16.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$11.15 €9.92

136.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$7.10 €6.31

49.15%

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

$566 €504

$707 €629

-19.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$10.1K €8,972

27.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$85.8 €76.3

3.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$36.10 €32.11

12.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$88.7 €78.9

16.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$87.6 €77.9

41.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$668 €594

9.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$600 €534

7.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$962 €856

38.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$855 €761

36.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$2,093 €1,861

92.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$1,537 €1,368

126.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$1,619 €1,440

-23.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.3

35.76%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Elche: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Elche

$600 39.7% 7.3% $47

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Elche

$254 16.8% 18.6% $58

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Elche

$238 15.8% 12% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Elche

$188 12.4% 27.9% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Elche

$134 8.9% 16.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Elche

$60 4% 19.3% $14

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Elche

$36 2.4% 19.4% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $668 in Elche. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elche pays 31% 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 $57.0 in Elche for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $254 per month, with Elche cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 Elche

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

21:09 9:09 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

238,293

💱 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 Elche 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Elche

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 Elche: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elche wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Elche the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Elche. 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: $729 in Athens versus $668 in Elche. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Elche – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $1,511 in Elche – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,511 in Elche versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Elche but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Elche the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Elche delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,511 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Elche hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Elche 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 Elche gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.