Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Leon

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,489 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Leon
Learn more

Leon Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Leon

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,489

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Leon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,489 in Leon.

Athens $1,775
Leon $1,489

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,086 in Leon.

Athens $2,721
Leon $2,086

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,683 in Leon.

Athens $3,666
Leon $2,683

Living in Athens is roughly 19% more expensive than in Leon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Leon 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.50 €14.68

1.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$42.47 €37.77

59.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.12 €8.11

22.15%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.96 €2.63

36.15%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.49 €2.22

11.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.38 €1.23

-60.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.71 €2.41

111.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.33 €2.96

63.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.07 €0.95

70.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.34 €1.19

2.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.30 €1.15

115.38%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.39 €3.02

42.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$9.96 €8.86

51.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$6.19 €5.50

71.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$15.42 €13.72

19.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.40 €2.14

-8.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.25 €2.00

-15.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.34 €2.08

-41.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.37 €2.10

-11.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.75 €1.56

-38.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.94 €1.72

-42.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.07 €0.95

4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.81 €0.72

8.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.58 €4.97

-1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.92 €4.38

105.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.56 €1.39

36.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.89 €1.68

19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.33 €1.18

2.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$33.44 €29.74

-10.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$2.25 €2.00

97.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.26 €1.12

-19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$35.54 €31.61

-52.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.69 €1.50

33.14%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$37.3K €33.2K

-24.91%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$31.2K €27.7K

-9.44%

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

$205 €182

$173 €154

18.33%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$16.70 €14.86

59.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$30.05 €26.73

1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$33.80 €30.06

61.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$6.28 €5.59

312.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.73 €7.77

19.36%

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

$569 €506

$206 €183

176.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$96.1 €85.5

-7.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$15.88 €14.13

154.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$82.5 €73.4

27.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$56.3 €50.1

115.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$858 €763

-13.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$587 €522

11.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$938 €835

38.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$730 €650

57.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,982 €1,763

102.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,550 €1,379

123.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,708 €1,519

-27.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.6

24.44%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Leon: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Leon

$587 39.4% 10.4% $68

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Leon

$241 16.2% 22.3% $69

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Leon

$231 15.5% 14% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Leon

$220 14.8% 16% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Leon

$113 7.6% 29.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Leon

$51 3.4% 32% $24

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Leon

$47 3.2% 5.4% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $858 in Leon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leon pays 37% 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 $42.00 in Leon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $241 per month, with Leon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 Leon

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

20:28 8:28 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

121,281

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Leon 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Leon

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 Leon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leon wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Leon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Leon. 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: $741 in Athens versus $858 in Leon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Leon – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,489 in Leon – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,489 in Leon versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Leon but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Leon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Leon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,489 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Leon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Leon 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 Leon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.