Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Hulhumale

For one person, living is cheaper in Hulhumale: $1,428 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in Athens despite lower rent and utilities.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Hulhumale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,428 in Hulhumale.

Athens $1,779
Hulhumale $1,428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,571 in Hulhumale.

Athens $2,721
Hulhumale $2,571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $3,713 in Hulhumale.

Athens $3,663
Hulhumale $3,713

Living in Athens is roughly 25% more expensive than in Hulhumale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 32% above, Hulhumale 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$5.82 MVR 89.8

189.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$39.15 MVR 604

68.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$9.45 MVR 146

18.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 MVR 73.9

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 MVR 112

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.47 MVR 53.5

17.58%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.65 MVR 25.38

67.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.31 MVR 4.85

74.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.61 MVR 24.88

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.70 MVR 26.18

-15.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$0.33 MVR 5.11

709.09%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.77 MVR 27.32

179.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$3.19 MVR 49.17

373.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.95 MVR 91.8

84.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$9.30 MVR 143

112.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.97 MVR 61.2

-46.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.82 MVR 43.52

-29.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.85 MVR 43.97

-53.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.50 MVR 38.48

-13.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.28 MVR 19.70

-17.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.11 MVR 17.09

3.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$2.18 MVR 33.59

-50.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.57 MVR 8.80

49.12%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.29 MVR 189

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 MVR 42.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MVR 30.89

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$12.78 MVR 197

-57.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.96 MVR 30.19

94.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.95 MVR 30.10

-47.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$10.06 MVR 155

63.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.04 MVR 16.07

125.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$25.7K MVR 396.6K

7.97%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$28.0K MVR 432.0K

-5.04%

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

$202 €180

$102 MVR 1,576

97.91%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$28.89 MVR 446

-7.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$73.7 MVR 1,136

-58.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$9.94 MVR 153

5.03%

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

$568 €506

$185 MVR 2,854

206.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$4,873 MVR 75.1K

211.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$39.33 MVR 606

130.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$49.95 MVR 770

-21.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$87.8 MVR 1,354

19.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$53.2 MVR 821

142.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$1,134 MVR 17.5K

-34.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$773 MVR 11.9K

-16.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$2,283 MVR 35.2K

-44.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$2,274 MVR 35.1K

-50.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$5,431 MVR 83.7K

-26.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$509 MVR 7,846

544.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$719 MVR 11.1K

73.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-68.29%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Hulhumale: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Hulhumale

$773 54.1% 19.2% $124

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Hulhumale

$191 13.4% 39.6% $125

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Hulhumale

$124 8.7% 54.2% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Hulhumale

$205 14.3% 21.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Hulhumale

$104 7.3% 36.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Hulhumale

$20 * 1.4% 73.5% $55

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Hulhumale

$12 * 0.8% 73.9% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $1,134 in Hulhumale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 73% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $39 in Hulhumale for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $191 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

07:36 7:36 AM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.31 MVR (100 MVR = 5.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Hulhumale 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Hulhumale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hulhumale wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hulhumale the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $1,134 in Hulhumale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $185 in Hulhumale. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Hulhumale 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.

It comes down to priorities – Hulhumale wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.