Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Madinat Hamad

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat Hamad: $1,192 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Madinat Hamad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,192 in Madinat Hamad.

Athens $1,779
Madinat Hamad $1,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,909 in Madinat Hamad.

Athens $2,721
Madinat Hamad $1,909

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,627 in Madinat Hamad.

Athens $3,663
Madinat Hamad $2,627

Living in Athens is roughly 49% more expensive than in Madinat Hamad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Madinat Hamad is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$2.60 BHD 0.98

547.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$52.6 BHD 19.82

25.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$7.62 BHD 2.87

47.11%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.62 BHD 0.99

55.73%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.89 BHD 0.33

211.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.32 BHD 0.12

68.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$6.44 BHD 2.43

-11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$9.77 BHD 3.68

-35.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.44 BHD 0.54

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.03 BHD 0.39

38.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.39 BHD 0.90

11.72%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.02 BHD 0.76

145.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$8.86 BHD 3.34

70.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$6.41 BHD 2.42

71.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$8.36 BHD 3.15

136.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.18 BHD 0.82

-2.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.62 BHD 0.61

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.90 BHD 0.72

-30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.35 BHD 0.51

60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.02 BHD 0.38

3.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.03 BHD 0.39

11.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.50 BHD 0.56

-28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.50 BHD 0.19

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$5.17 BHD 1.95

5.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$18.64 BHD 7.03

-46.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$3.66 BHD 1.38

-44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.71 BHD 1.02

-12.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.64 BHD 0.24

110.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$34.51 BHD 13.01

-11.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$5.15 BHD 1.94

-26.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.59 BHD 0.98

-60.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$16.06 BHD 6.06

2.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.39 BHD 0.15

500.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$25.7K BHD 9,693

8.03%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$19.9K BHD 7,510

33.58%

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

$202 €180

$155 BHD 58.3

30.70%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$23.42 BHD 8.83

14.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$18.89 BHD 7.12

61.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$118 BHD 44.36

-54.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$53.9 BHD 20.34

-49.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.21 BHD 1.96

100.38%

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

$568 €505

$619 BHD 233

-8.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$11.1K BHD 4,194

36.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$51.5 BHD 19.41

76.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$57.5 BHD 21.67

-31.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$87.0 BHD 32.80

20.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$90.4 BHD 34.10

42.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$397 BHD 150

86.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$312 BHD 118

107.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$797 BHD 300

59.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$670 BHD 253

67.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$669 BHD 252

86.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

6.21

-28.50%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Madinat Hamad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Madinat Hamad

$312 26.2% 51.9% $336

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Madinat Hamad

$239 20.1% 24.4% $77

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Madinat Hamad

$132 11.1% 51.5% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5% 24.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8% 21.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Madinat Hamad

$128 10.7% 70.8% $53

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Madinat Hamad

$55 4.6% 23% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $397 in Madinat Hamad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 86% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $53 in Madinat Hamad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $239 per month, with Madinat Hamad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

15:55 3:55 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

133,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Madinat Hamad 2,830 km ≈ 4 h 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 Madinat Hamad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madinat Hamad wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Madinat Hamad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Athens, 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 $397 in Madinat Hamad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Madinat Hamad – a meal for two runs $53 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 $1,192 in Madinat Hamad – Madinat Hamad is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Madinat Hamad gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 – Madinat Hamad wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.