Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Jeddah

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,394 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,394

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Jeddah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,394 in Jeddah.

Athens $1,779
Jeddah $1,394

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,161 in Jeddah.

Athens $2,721
Jeddah $2,161

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,928 in Jeddah.

Athens $3,663
Jeddah $2,928

Living in Athens is roughly 28% more expensive than in Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 32% above, Jeddah 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$6.69 SAR 25.10

151.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$76.2 SAR 286

-13.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$9.56 SAR 35.88

17.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 SAR 9.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 SAR 9.75

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.80 SAR 14.26

7.37%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.03 SAR 3.87

168.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.25 SAR 0.94

116.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.74 SAR 6.53

5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.27 SAR 4.78

12.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.29 SAR 8.59

16.59%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.47 SAR 9.26

100.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$6.44 SAR 24.19

134.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$8.32 SAR 31.23

32.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$13.26 SAR 49.79

49.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.08 SAR 7.80

1.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.73 SAR 6.51

14.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.56 SAR 5.84

-14.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.66 SAR 6.24

30.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.12 SAR 4.20

-5.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.24 SAR 4.65

-7.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.07 SAR 4.03

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.50 SAR 1.88

70.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.18 SAR 15.70

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 SAR 9.73

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.55 SAR 24.58

-16.64%

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

$0.90 SAR 3.38

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$54.6 SAR 205

-44.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.22 SAR 12.09

18.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.68 SAR 6.30

-38.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$14.37 SAR 53.9

14.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.64 SAR 2.42

265.62%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$37.7K SAR 141.6K

-26.40%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$22.0K SAR 82.7K

20.71%

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

$202 €180

$88.3 SAR 331

129.07%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$38.71 SAR 145

-30.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$68.5 SAR 257

-55.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$69.9 SAR 262

-22.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$37.61 SAR 141

-27.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$11.72 SAR 43.98

-10.92%

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

$568 €505

$781 SAR 2,930

-27.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$15.1K SAR 56.8K

0.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$74.5 SAR 280

21.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$56.2 SAR 211

-30.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$99.0 SAR 372

6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$92.3 SAR 347

39.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$801 SAR 3,008

-7.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$556 SAR 2,087

16.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$1,329 SAR 4,987

-4.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$864 SAR 3,244

29.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,683 SAR 6,317

137.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,119 SAR 4,201

193.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,650 SAR 6,191

-24.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.39

-17.63%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Jeddah

$556 39.9% 14.2% $92

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Jeddah

$201 14.5% 36.3% $115

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Jeddah

$133 9.5% 51.1% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Jeddah

$196 14% 24.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Jeddah

$145 10.4% 11.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Jeddah

$93 6.7% 24.5% $18

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Jeddah

$70 5% 55.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $801 in Jeddah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jeddah pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $76 in Jeddah. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $201, with Jeddah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

09:36 9:36 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

3,430,697

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Athens Jeddah 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeddah wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jeddah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Athens. 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: $742 in Athens versus $801 in Jeddah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66 versus $76 in Jeddah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,394 in Jeddah – Jeddah is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Jeddah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.