Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Male: $1,505 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Male
Learn more

Male Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Male

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,505 in Male.

Athens $1,779
Male $1,505

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,419 in Male.

Athens $2,721
Male $2,419

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $3,332 in Male.

Athens $3,663
Male $3,332

Living in Athens is roughly 18% more expensive than in Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 32% above, Male 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$6.03 MVR 93.0

179.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$38.48 MVR 593

71.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$9.86 MVR 152

13.69%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 MVR 75.6

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 MVR 111

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.49 MVR 53.9

16.91%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.64 MVR 25.25

68.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.31 MVR 4.79

74.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.98 MVR 30.55

-7.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.60 MVR 24.70

-10.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.21 MVR 18.64

120.66%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.88 MVR 28.99

163.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$10.53 MVR 162

43.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.94 MVR 91.7

85.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$9.38 MVR 145

110.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$4.04 MVR 62.3

-47.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.85 MVR 43.95

-30.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$4.00 MVR 61.7

-66.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.38 MVR 36.68

-9.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$2.15 MVR 33.08

-50.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.99 MVR 30.67

-42.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$2.16 MVR 33.37

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.58 MVR 9.01

46.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.50 MVR 193

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 MVR 41.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MVR 30.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$14.90 MVR 230

-63.36%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.66 MVR 10.22

104.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$29.48 MVR 455

3.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.90 MVR 29.30

100.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.95 MVR 30.09

-47.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$10.06 MVR 155

63.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.04 MVR 16.07

125.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$25.5K MVR 393.9K

8.71%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$27.9K MVR 430.3K

-4.67%

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

$202 €180

$118 MVR 1,817

71.58%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$29.90 MVR 461

-10.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$73.6 MVR 1,135

-58.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$71.9 MVR 1,108

-24.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$33.66 MVR 519

-18.60%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$9.48 MVR 146

10.13%

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

$568 €506

$182 MVR 2,812

211.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$4,813 MVR 74.2K

215.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$38.62 MVR 596

134.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$49.25 MVR 759

-20.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$85.3 MVR 1,315

23.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$52.4 MVR 809

145.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$961 MVR 14.8K

-22.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$691 MVR 10.7K

-6.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$2,054 MVR 31.7K

-38.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$1,546 MVR 23.8K

-27.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$2,234 MVR 34.5K

79.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$1,402 MVR 21.6K

134.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$830 MVR 12.8K

50.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-68.29%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Male: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Male

$691 45.9% 6.6% $43

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Male

$229 15.2% 27.6% $87

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Male

$128 8.5% 53% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Male

$221 14.7% 14.7% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Male

$102 6.7% 38% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Male

$91 6% 21.2% $16

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Male

$44 2.9% 2.4% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $961 in Male. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $38 in Male for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $229 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

00:19 12:19 AM

03:19 3:19 AM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.31 MVR (100 MVR = 5.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Male 6,280 km ≈ 8 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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Male wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Male the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% 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 $961 in Male. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Male – a meal for two runs $38 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 $1,505 in Male – Male is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Male is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Male are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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