Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mecca

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $1,094 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
Learn more

Mecca Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mecca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,094 in Mecca.

Athens $1,779
Mecca $1,094

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,615 in Mecca.

Athens $2,721
Mecca $1,615

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,136 in Mecca.

Athens $3,663
Mecca $2,136

Living in Athens is roughly 63% more expensive than in Mecca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Mecca is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.49 SAR 16.84

274.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$26.81 SAR 101

146.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$6.81 SAR 25.55

64.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 SAR 5.70

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.60 SAR 9.74

56.92%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.67 SAR 2.52

313.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.25 SAR 0.95

116.00%

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

$1.68 SAR 6.32

9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.93 SAR 3.48

53.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.18 SAR 8.20

22.48%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.48 SAR 9.29

99.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$5.83 SAR 21.86

158.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$8.11 SAR 30.43

35.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$12.91 SAR 48.47

53.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.07 SAR 7.78

2.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.61 SAR 6.06

22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.55 SAR 5.81

-14.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.54 SAR 5.79

40.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.17 SAR 4.40

-9.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.31 SAR 4.91

-12.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.03 SAR 3.88

4.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.53 SAR 2.00

60.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.15 SAR 15.58

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.72 SAR 25.23

-18.75%

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

$1.08 SAR 4.05

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$45.50 SAR 171

-32.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.74 SAR 6.52

118.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.71 SAR 6.42

-39.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$14.44 SAR 54.2

14.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.59 SAR 2.23

296.61%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$26.5K SAR 99.4K

4.87%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$21.2K SAR 79.7K

25.36%

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

$202 €180

$65.3 SAR 245

209.68%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$34.55 SAR 130

-22.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$62.9 SAR 236

-51.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$80.9 SAR 304

-33.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$42.24 SAR 159

-35.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$11.74 SAR 44.05

-11.07%

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

$568 €506

$760 SAR 2,854

-25.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$5,355 SAR 20.1K

183.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$13.12 SAR 49.23

590.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$58.0 SAR 218

-32.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$39.45 SAR 148

166.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$52.3 SAR 196

146.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$606 SAR 2,275

22.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$410 SAR 1,539

58.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$897 SAR 3,365

41.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$614 SAR 2,304

82.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$5,211 SAR 19.6K

-23.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$1,210 SAR 4,540

171.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,094 SAR 4,108

13.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.25

-15.43%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mecca: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Mecca

$410 37.5% 36.8% $238

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Mecca

$192 17.6% 39.3% $124

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Mecca

$91 8.3% 66.4% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Mecca

$163 14.9% 37.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Mecca

$73 6.7% 55.3% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mecca

$104 9.5% 39.3% $29

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mecca

$60 5.5% 33.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $606 in Mecca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 14% 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 $27 in Mecca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $192 per month, with Mecca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Mecca

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

11:17 11:17 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,675,368

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Mecca 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Mecca

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 Mecca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mecca wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mecca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 14% 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 $606 in Mecca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mecca – a meal for two runs $27 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 $1,094 in Mecca – Mecca is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,094 in Mecca versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mecca but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mecca 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.

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

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