Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,327 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Medina
Learn more

Medina Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Medina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,327 in Medina.

Athens $1,779
Medina $1,327

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,779 in Medina.

Athens $2,721
Medina $1,779

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,231 in Medina.

Athens $3,663
Medina $2,231

Living in Athens is roughly 34% more expensive than in Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Medina is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.06

$5.53 SAR 20.75

204.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €59.1

$32.26 SAR 121

104.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €10.03

$8.20 SAR 30.78

36.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 SAR 6.10

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 SAR 6.31

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.65

$2.60 SAR 9.76

56.92%

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

$2.77 €2.48

$0.73 SAR 2.72

279.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.25 SAR 0.94

116.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.60

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.48 SAR 5.57

24.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.92 SAR 3.46

55.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$2.37 SAR 8.89

12.66%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.43

$2.00 SAR 7.51

147.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.51

$5.35 SAR 20.08

182.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.83

$7.09 SAR 26.61

55.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.69

$12.52 SAR 47.01

57.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.35 SAR 8.82

-9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.00 SAR 7.49

-1.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.25 SAR 8.43

-40.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.47 SAR 5.51

46.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.37 SAR 5.14

-22.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.32 SAR 4.95

-12.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.92 SAR 3.46

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.70 SAR 2.63

21.43%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.34 SAR 5.04

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.88

$7.41 SAR 27.82

-26.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.08 SAR 4.06

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.31

$36.54 SAR 137

-16.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.41

$1.35 SAR 5.07

182.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.71 SAR 6.40

-39.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.75

$5.71 SAR 21.42

188.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$0.65 SAR 2.43

260.00%

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

$27.8K €24.8K

$42.0K SAR 157.8K

-33.96%

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

$26.6K €23.8K

$20.5K SAR 76.9K

29.93%

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

$202 €181

$147 SAR 552

37.46%

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

$26.81 €23.99

$28.09 SAR 105

-4.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.28

$87.7 SAR 329

-65.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.38

$78.4 SAR 294

-31.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.52

$8.93 SAR 33.52

206.83%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.34

$13.10 SAR 49.16

-20.31%

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

$568 €508

$291 SAR 1,091

95.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.6K

$5,499 SAR 20.6K

176.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €81.1

$37.75 SAR 142

140.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.19

$52.3 SAR 196

-24.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$65.7 SAR 247

60.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$68.6 SAR 258

87.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €664

$562 SAR 2,109

32.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €580

$515 SAR 1,931

26.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,138

$753 SAR 2,825

68.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,004

$560 SAR 2,102

100.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,578

$2,284 SAR 8,574

75.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,936

$1,323 SAR 4,966

147.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,114

$1,233 SAR 4,627

1.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

4.17

6.47%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Medina

$515 38.8% 20.6% $134

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Medina

$190 14.3% 40.1% $127

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Medina

$104 7.8% 61.7% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Medina

$263 19.8% 1.3% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Medina

$101 7.6% 38.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Medina

$105 7.9% 39.6% $30

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Medina

$51 3.8% 13.1% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $562 in Medina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $32 in Medina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $190 per month, with Medina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

20:37 8:37 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,100,093

💱 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 Medina 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medina wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $1,991 in Medina 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: $742 in Athens versus $562 in Medina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medina – a meal for two runs $32 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 $1,327 in Medina – Medina is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Medina 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.