Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Hama

For one person, living is cheaper in Hama: $549 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Hama
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Hama Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Hama

🇸🇾 Syria

$549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Hama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $549 in Hama.

Athens $1,779
Hama $549

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $859 in Hama.

Athens $2,721
Hama $859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,170 in Hama.

Athens $3,663
Hama $1,170

Living in Athens is roughly 224% more expensive than in Hama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Hama is 59% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$7.51 SYP 912

124.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$30.27 SYP 3,678

118.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$2.72 SYP 331

312.13%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.16 SYP 141

251.72%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$2.27 SYP 276

22.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.83 SYP 101

-34.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.86 SYP 226

206.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.72 SYP 209

263.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.02 SYP 124

80.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.42 SYP 50.7

240.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.60 SYP 194

66.87%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.53 SYP 186

223.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$4.02 SYP 489

275.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.81 SYP 706

89.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$14.00 SYP 1,702

41.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.03 SYP 125

105.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.40 SYP 170

41.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.09 SYP 132

22.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.02 SYP 124

111.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.74 SYP 89.6

43.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.76 SYP 92.9

51.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.43 SYP 52.7

151.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.67 SYP 81.5

26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.75 SYP 334

98.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$5.06 SYP 615

98.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.14 SYP 138

78.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.76 SYP 335

-13.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.21 SYP 25.67

542.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.02 SYP 124

273.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.49 SYP 181

-30.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$7.81 SYP 949

111.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$3.70 SYP 450

-36.76%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

83.82%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$18.8K SYP 2.3M

41.67%

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

$202 €180

$138 SYP 16.7K

47.00%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$9.18 SYP 1,116

192.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$22.91 SYP 2,784

33.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.45 SYP 662

91.56%

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

$568 €505

$67.6 SYP 8,216

739.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$1,761 SYP 214.0K

762.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$28.71 SYP 3,489

215.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$39.53 SYP 4,804

-0.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$61.0 SYP 7,407

72.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$57.9 SYP 7,039

122.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

14.25

-68.84%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Hama: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Hama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Hama

$168 30.6% 46.9% $148

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Hama

$107 19.5% 60.5% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Hama

$170 30.9% 34.6% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Hama

$84 15.3% 48.6% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Hama

$11 * 2% 85.5% $64

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Hama

$9.3 * 1.7% 79.2% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $30 in Hama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $168 per month, with Hama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇾 Hama

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

312,994

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Hama 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Hama

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 Hama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hama wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $824 in Hama 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.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $68 in Hama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hama – a meal for two runs $30 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $549 in Hama versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hama but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Hama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.