Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Malatya

For one person, living is cheaper in Malatya: $687 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Malatya
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Malatya Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Malatya

🇹🇷 Turkey

$687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Malatya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $687 in Malatya.

Athens $1,779
Malatya $687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,058 in Malatya.

Athens $2,721
Malatya $1,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,429 in Malatya.

Athens $3,663
Malatya $1,429

Living in Athens is roughly 159% more expensive than in Malatya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Malatya is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.74 ₺238

255.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$29.59 ₺1,484

123.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$7.27 ₺365

54.20%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.56 ₺78.3

161.54%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.93 ₺46.48

197.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.32 ₺15.85

68.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.21 ₺111

157.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.51 ₺176

78.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.79 ₺39.58

132.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.76 ₺38.30

88.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.68 ₺134

-0.37%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.73 ₺86.6

186.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$8.15 ₺409

85.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$2.28 ₺114

382.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$15.99 ₺802

23.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.61 ₺80.8

31.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.56 ₺78.4

26.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.79 ₺39.46

68.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.74 ₺37.14

191.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.39 ₺19.75

171.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.37 ₺18.67

210.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.51 ₺25.79

111.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.48 ₺23.95

77.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.94 ₺97.3

181.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$11.94 ₺599

-16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.84 ₺92.5

10.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.14 ₺107

11.21%

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

$0.73 ₺36.83

421.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.69 ₺34.60

49.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.33 ₺66.6

75.94%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$40.2K ₺2.0M

-30.91%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-34.33%

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

$202 €180

$30.18 ₺1,514

570.05%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$10.13 ₺508

164.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$14.05 ₺705

117.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$35.41 ₺1,776

52.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.23 ₺262

99.62%

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

$568 €505

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$15.02 ₺753

503.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$71.1 ₺3,568

-44.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$50.1 ₺2,512

110.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$29.91 ₺1,500

331.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$332 ₺16.6K

123.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$217 ₺10.9K

198.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$466 ₺23.4K

172.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$326 ₺16.4K

244.01%

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

$1,105 ₺55.4K

12.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-89.67%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Malatya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Malatya

$217 31.7% 66.5% $431

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Malatya

$188 27.4% 40.5% $128

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Malatya

$102 14.8% 62.6% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Malatya

$54 7.9% 79% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Malatya

$75 10.9% 54.4% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Malatya

$46 6.7% 38.8% $29

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Malatya

$4.2 * 0.6% 90.7% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $332 in Malatya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $30 in Malatya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $188 per month, with Malatya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 Malatya

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

781,305

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Malatya 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Malatya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malatya wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Malatya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% 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 $332 in Malatya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $687 in Malatya – Malatya is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $687 in Malatya versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Malatya but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Malatya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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