Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lija

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $1,972 in Lija, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lija

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,972 in Lija.

Athens $1,775
Lija $1,972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,209 in Lija.

Athens $2,721
Lija $3,209

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,446 in Lija.

Athens $3,666
Lija $4,446

Living in Athens costs roughly 10% less than in Lija, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Lija 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$22.27 €19.81

-25.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$91.0 €81.0

-25.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$13.14 €11.69

-15.22%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.13 €2.79

28.75%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.42 €2.15

14.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.97 €1.75

-72.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.45 €4.85

5.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.71 €5.97

-18.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.33 €1.18

36.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.41 €1.25

-2.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.46 €3.08

-19.08%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.22 €3.76

14.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.49 €9.33

43.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$12.19 €10.84

-12.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$18.21 €16.20

1.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.86 €3.44

-43.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.74 €2.44

-30.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.83 €3.40

-64.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.69 €3.28

-43.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.92 €1.71

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.42 €3.04

-67.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.19 €1.95

-48.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.54 €1.37

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.36 €5.66

-13.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.11 €5.44

65.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.37 €2.11

-10.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.28 €2.03

-1.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.37 €2.11

-42.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.95 €3.52

12.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.78 €1.58

-42.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$32.04 €28.50

-47.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.52 €1.35

48.03%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$27.8K €24.7K

0.77%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$39.1K €34.8K

-27.80%

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

$205 €182

$156 €138

31.48%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$31.66 €28.16

-15.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$28.94 €25.75

4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$70.5 €62.7

-22.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$11.36 €10.11

-8.27%

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

$569 €506

$279 €248

104.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$12.2K €10.9K

2.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$57.8 €51.4

53.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$68.0 €60.5

-40.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$111 €98.8

-5.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$130 €116

-6.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,106 €984

-33.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$819 €728

-20.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,794 €1,595

-27.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,693 €1,506

-32.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$4,111 €3,657

-2.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,697 €2,399

28.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.05

10.62%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lija: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Lija

$819 41.5% 25.1% $164

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Lija

$343 17.4% 10.5% $33

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Lija

$313 15.9% 16.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Lija

$216 11% 17.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Lija

$165 8.4% 3.3% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Lija

$93 4.7% 23.7% $18

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Lija

$22 * 1.1% 50.3% $23

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 $741 in Athens and $1,106 in Lija. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $91.0 in Lija for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $343 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇹 Lija

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

23:04 11:04 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

3,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Athens Lija 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Lija

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 Lija: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Lija. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $2,958 in Lija 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: $741 in Athens versus $1,106 in Lija. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $279 in Lija. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $91.0 in Lija. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,972 in Lija, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Lija. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Lija 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Lija. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.