Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: $1,600 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,600 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.

Athens $1,806
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,600

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,345 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.

Athens $2,731
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,345

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,090 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.

Athens $3,656
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,090

Living in Athens is roughly 13% more expensive than in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.92

$15.29 €13.70

8.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.3

$57.5 €51.5

15.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.91

$10.40 €9.32

6.35%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.71

$2.13 €1.91

94.37%

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

$2.80 €2.51

$2.41 €2.16

16.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.71 €1.54

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.05

$3.23 €2.90

74.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.89

$3.38 €3.03

61.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.20 €1.08

63.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.35 €1.21

4.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.54

$1.62 €1.45

74.69%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.51

$2.80 €2.51

80.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.75

$13.71 €12.28

11.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.27

$8.26 €7.40

25.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €17.00

$15.30 €13.71

23.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.46 €2.21

-11.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.97 €1.76

-3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.98 €1.77

-30.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.56 €2.29

-14.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.71 €1.53

-35.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.05 €1.84

-44.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.31 €1.17

-16.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.76 €0.68

9.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €5.01

$6.27 €5.61

-10.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.13

$5.68 €5.09

79.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.25 €1.12

74.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.04 €1.83

20.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.70 €1.52

-18.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.65

$34.53 €30.93

-10.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.92

$4.00 €3.58

9.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.24 €1.11

-16.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.33

$24.63 €22.06

-30.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.80 €1.61

28.33%

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

$28.0K €25.1K

$38.4K €34.4K

-27.07%

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

$28.0K €25.1K

$30.4K €27.3K

-7.91%

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

$210 €188

$133 €119

57.56%

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

$26.70 €23.92

$21.10 €18.90

26.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.99

$30.91 €27.69

-2.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.91

$47.28 €42.36

15.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.32

$15.31 €13.72

70.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.66

$9.19 €8.23

17.30%

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

$575 €515

$409 €366

40.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.8K

$8,292 €7,428

58.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.5

$85.1 €76.2

9.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.44

$35.30 €31.62

15.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €93.2

$89.1 €79.8

16.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$108 €96.6

19.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €677

$843 €755

-10.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €584

$689 €618

-5.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,159

$1,304 €1,168

-0.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,042

$995 €891

16.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,591

$3,345 €2,996

19.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,092

$2,308 €2,068

49.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,114

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.5

28.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$689 42.7% 5.7% $37

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$262 16.2% 16.8% $53

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$218 13.5% 18.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$185 11.5% 30.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$143 8.8% 13.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$66 4.1% 13.8% $11

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$52 3.2% 12.2% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $262 per month, with Gran Canaria, Canary Islands cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

862,893

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gran Canaria, Canary Islands the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,709 in Athens and $2,401 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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: $756 in Athens versus $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,600 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,600 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Gran Canaria, Canary Islands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gran Canaria, Canary Islands delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,600 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gran Canaria, Canary Islands hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.