Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Madaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Madaba: $767 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Madaba
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Madaba Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Madaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Madaba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $767 in Madaba.

Athens $1,779
Madaba $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,355 in Madaba.

Athens $2,721
Madaba $1,355

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,943 in Madaba.

Athens $3,663
Madaba $1,943

Living in Athens is roughly 132% more expensive than in Madaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Madaba is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$5.81 JOD 4.11

189.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$50.2 JOD 35.52

31.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$6.21 JOD 4.40

80.52%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.50 JOD 2.48

16.57%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.63 JOD 0.45

339.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.57 JOD 0.41

-5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$4.29 JOD 3.04

32.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$6.90 JOD 4.88

-9.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.39 JOD 0.99

32.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.70 JOD 0.49

104.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.52 JOD 1.08

75.66%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.67 JOD 1.18

196.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$4.32 JOD 3.06

249.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.72 JOD 4.05

92.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$12.77 JOD 9.04

54.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.57 JOD 1.82

-17.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.39 JOD 0.98

42.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.78 JOD 1.26

-25.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.70 JOD 0.49

208.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.72 JOD 0.51

47.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.69 JOD 0.49

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.36 JOD 0.26

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.58 JOD 0.41

46.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.07 JOD 1.46

163.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$20.75 JOD 14.69

-51.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$4.95 JOD 3.50

-58.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$5.08 JOD 3.60

-53.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.88 JOD 0.63

53.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$70.7 JOD 50.0

-56.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.58 JOD 0.41

556.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.44 JOD 1.02

-28.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$6.93 JOD 4.91

137.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.43 JOD 1.01

63.64%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$32.8K JOD 23.2K

-15.27%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$33.6K JOD 23.8K

-20.77%

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

$202 €180

$69.4 JOD 49.08

191.59%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$14.01 JOD 9.92

91.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$21.40 JOD 15.15

42.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$27.90 JOD 19.75

93.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$70.0 JOD 49.54

-60.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$11.48 JOD 8.13

-9.06%

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

$568 €506

$42.29 JOD 29.94

1241.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$9,271 JOD 6,562

63.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$63.7 JOD 45.06

42.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$56.8 JOD 40.17

-30.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$70.6 JOD 49.97

49.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$42.72 JOD 30.24

201.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$214 JOD 152

246.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$43.02 JOD 30.45

1407.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$421 JOD 298

202.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$212 JOD 150

429.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$487 JOD 344

155.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

6.94

-36.02%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Madaba: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Madaba

$43 5.6% 93.4% $605

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Madaba

$234 30.5% 26.1% $83

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Madaba

$147 19.2% 45.8% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Madaba

$105 13.7% 59.6% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Madaba

$105 13.7% 35.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Madaba

$51 6.6% 32.1% $24

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Madaba

$82 10.7% 82.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $214 in Madaba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $50 in Madaba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $234 per month, with Madaba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇯🇴 Madaba

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

01:13 1:13 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

65,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Madaba 1,300 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Athens
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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 Madaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madaba wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Madaba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $214 in Madaba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Madaba – a meal for two runs $50 versus $66 in Athens. 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 $767 in Madaba – Madaba is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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