Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lusail

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusail: $753 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athens, Greece
Lusail, Qatar
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,779
/mo nomad
Lusail
🇶🇦 Qatar
$753
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lusail

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $753 in Lusail.

  • Athens $1,779
  • Lusail $753

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,277 in Lusail.

  • Athens $2,721
  • Lusail $1,277

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,800 in Lusail.

  • Athens $3,663
  • Lusail $1,800

Living in Athens is roughly 136% more expensive than in Lusail, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Lusail is 44% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Lusail
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.83 €14.99
$8.19 QAR 29.81
105.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.0 €58.8
$69.1 QAR 252
-4.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.21 €9.98
$8.37 QAR 30.46
33.93%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$8.11 QAR 29.52
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$9.60 QAR 34.93
-
Cappuccino
$4.08 €3.64
$5.50 QAR 20.00
-25.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 €2.47
$0.79 QAR 2.86
250.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.48
$0.28 QAR 1.03
92.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.70 €5.07
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.26 €5.58
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Lusail
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.64
$2.10 QAR 7.64
-12.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 €1.27
$1.37 QAR 4.99
4.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 €2.38
$1.38 QAR 5.02
93.48%
Eggs
$4.95 €4.41
$3.22 QAR 11.73
53.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.09 €13.44
$11.30 QAR 41.12
33.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.99 €9.79
$8.45 QAR 30.77
30.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.77 €17.60
$11.51 QAR 41.88
71.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.12 €1.89
$2.26 QAR 8.22
-6.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 €1.76
$1.77 QAR 6.44
11.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 €1.18
$1.64 QAR 5.95
-18.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$0.52 QAR 1.91
315.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 €0.94
$0.52 QAR 1.90
103.85%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 €1.02
$0.53 QAR 1.92
116.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 €0.96
$1.44 QAR 5.26
-25.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.75
$0.50 QAR 1.84
70.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$9.80 QAR 35.68
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.97 QAR 7.18
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.28 QAR 8.30
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.46 €4.86
$6.67 QAR 24.26
-18.14%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Lusail
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 €1.20
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.52 €27.18
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 €3.39
$1.96 QAR 7.12
94.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 €0.92
$1.88 QAR 6.84
-45.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.49 €14.68
$13.81 QAR 50.3
19.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.34 €2.09
$0.59 QAR 2.13
296.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K €24.7K
$24.1K QAR 87.7K
15.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K €23.7K
$21.6K QAR 78.6K
23.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Lusail
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 €180
$90.5 QAR 330
123.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.81 €23.87
$34.47 QAR 125
-22.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.49 €27.14
$89.0 QAR 324
-65.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Lusail
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 €48.14
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.40 €24.40
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.44 €9.30
$12.30 QAR 44.78
-15.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Lusail
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$568 €505
$732 QAR 2,665
-22.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.2K €13.5K
$16.8K QAR 61.3K
-9.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Lusail
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.7 €80.7
$62.6 QAR 228
44.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.32 €35.01
$48.66 QAR 177
-19.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.7
$98.1 QAR 357
7.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 €115
$85.2 QAR 310
51.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Lusail
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$742 €661
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$648 €577
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,271 €1,132
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,122 €999
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,999 €3,561
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,281 €2,921
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Lusail
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,245 €1,109
$1,365 QAR 4,969
-8.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.44
5.92
-25.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Lusail: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$648
Lusail
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$316
Lusail
$209 33.8% $107
Eating Out
Athens
$272
Lusail
$161 40.8% $111
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$260
Lusail
$214 17.5% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$164
Lusail
$133 19.1% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$75
Lusail
$25 * 67.2% $50
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Lusail
$11 * 74.7% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

Lusail pays 10% 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 $69 in Lusail. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $209, with Lusail cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇶🇦 Lusail
🕒 Local time
05:26 5:26 AM
06:26 6:26 AM
1 h ahead of Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
198,600
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق
Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 QAR (1 QAR = 0.245 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Lusail 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Athens
  • Lusail

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 Lusail: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Lusail?
Lusail wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lusail the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Lusail?
On paper, salaries run 9% 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.
How do childcare costs compare in Athens and in Lusail?
Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $732 in Lusail. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Lusail?
Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66 versus $69 in Lusail. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Athens or in Lusail?
At $753 in Lusail versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lusail but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Lusail the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Athens or Lusail?
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.
How safe is Athens compared to Lusail?
Safety-wise, Athens and Lusail are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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