Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Luqa

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Luqa: $1,775 and $1,773 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Luqa
Learn more

Luqa Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Luqa

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Luqa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,773 in Luqa.

Athens $1,775
Luqa $1,773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,738 in Luqa.

Athens $2,721
Luqa $2,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,703 in Luqa.

Athens $3,666
Luqa $3,703

Monthly costs are close between Athens and Luqa; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$19.40 €17.26

-13.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$85.5 €76.1

-20.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.99 €9.77

1.36%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.74 €2.44

47.08%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.09 €2.75

-10.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.25 €2.00

-75.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$4.43 €3.94

29.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.29 €3.82

27.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.19 €1.06

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.15 €1.02

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.54 €3.15

-20.90%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.97 €3.53

21.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.42 €7.49

78.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$10.15 €9.03

4.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$15.66 €13.93

17.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.82 €2.51

-21.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.03 €1.81

-6.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.04 €2.70

-54.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.41 €3.03

-38.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.78 €1.58

-39.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.97 €1.75

-43.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.30 €2.04

-51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.88 €0.78

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.91 €6.15

-20.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.88 €7.01

28.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.53 €1.36

39.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.21 €1.97

1.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.22 €1.97

-38.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$14.31 €12.73

108.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.44 €4.84

-18.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.17 €1.93

-53.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$26.71 €23.76

-36.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.49 €1.32

51.01%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$24.7K €22.0K

13.47%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$39.2K €34.9K

-28.01%

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

$205 €182

$101 €89.8

102.65%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$25.06 €22.29

6.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$33.93 €30.18

-10.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$56.0 €49.76

-53.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.84 €8.75

5.89%

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

$569 €506

$371 €330

53.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$11.1K €9,912

12.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$86.0 €76.5

3.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$40.53 €36.05

-0.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$82.1 €73.0

27.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$78.7 €70.0

54.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$801 €712

-7.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$808 €719

-18.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,313 €1,168

-1.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,284 €1,142

-10.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,858 €2,542

40.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,139 €2,792

10.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,418 €1,261

-12.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.9

54.48%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Luqa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Luqa

$808 45.6% 23.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Luqa

$289 16.3% 7% $22

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Luqa

$273 15.4% 1.9% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Luqa

$160 9% 38.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Luqa

$129 7.3% 19.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Luqa

$74 4.2% 1.5% $1.2

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Luqa

$40 2.2% 12% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $801 in Luqa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luqa pays 14% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $85.0 in Luqa. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $289, with Luqa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇹 Luqa

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

15:58 3:58 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

5,900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Luqa 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Luqa

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 Luqa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Luqa. 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 $801 in Luqa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $371 in Luqa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Luqa – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,773 in Luqa versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Luqa but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Luqa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Luqa delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,773 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Luqa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Luqa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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