Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Madeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Madeira: $1,597 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
Learn more

Madeira Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Madeira

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,597 in Madeira.

Athens $1,806
Madeira $1,597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,383 in Madeira.

Athens $2,731
Madeira $2,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,169 in Madeira.

Athens $3,656
Madeira $3,169

Living in Athens is roughly 13% more expensive than in Madeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Madeira 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$11.62 €10.37

43.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$46.16 €41.19

43.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$9.12 €8.14

21.27%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.10 €1.88

97.14%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.85 €1.65

51.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.43 €1.27

-60.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$2.27 €2.03

148.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.54 €3.16

54.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.09 €0.98

79.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.53 €1.37

-7.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.60 €1.43

76.88%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$2.99 €2.67

68.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$11.53 €10.29

33.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$7.69 €6.86

34.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$14.00 €12.49

35.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.35 €2.10

-7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.41 €1.26

35.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.80 €1.61

-23.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.50 €2.23

-12.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.51 €1.34

-27.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.92 €1.72

-41.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.55 €1.38

-29.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.84 €0.75

-1.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$6.04 €5.39

-7.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$5.22 €4.66

95.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.30 €1.16

67.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.32 €2.07

5.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.36 €2.11

-41.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$42.32 €37.77

-27.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$4.28 €3.82

2.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.79 €0.71

31.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$17.53 €15.65

-2.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.90 €1.69

21.58%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$35.4K €31.6K

-20.88%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$39.1K €34.9K

-28.31%

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

$210 €187

$134 €120

56.53%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$20.90 €18.65

27.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$41.95 €37.44

-28.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$43.41 €38.74

25.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$17.37 €15.50

49.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$8.35 €7.45

29.10%

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

$575 €513

$473 €422

21.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$8,183 €7,303

60.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$74.7 €66.7

24.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$38.11 €34.01

6.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$91.9 €82.0

13.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$92.8 €82.8

38.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$914 €816

-17.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$717 €640

-9.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,446 €1,291

-10.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,145 €1,021

1.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$3,012 €2,688

33.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$2,356 €2,103

46.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.01

-10.58%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Madeira: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Madeira

$717 45.1% 10% $65

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Madeira

$246 15.5% 21.9% $69

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Madeira

$177 11.1% 34.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Madeira

$197 12.4% 26.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Madeira

$134 8.4% 18.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Madeira

$60 3.8% 21.1% $16

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Madeira

$60 3.8% 30.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $914 in Madeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $46.00 in Madeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $246 per month, with Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇹 Madeira

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

09:11 9:11 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

154

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Madeira 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Madeira

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 Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madeira wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Madeira the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,709 in Athens and $2,395 in Madeira 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: $756 in Athens versus $914 in Madeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Madeira – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,597 in Madeira – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,597 in Madeira versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Madeira but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Madeira the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Madeira delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,597 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Madeira hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Madeira 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 Madeira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.