Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mersa Matruh

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mersa Matruh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $457 in Mersa Matruh.

Athens $1,771
Mersa Matruh $457

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $749 in Mersa Matruh.

Athens $2,736
Mersa Matruh $749

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $1,040 in Mersa Matruh.

Athens $3,701
Mersa Matruh $1,040

Living in Athens is roughly 287% more expensive than in Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Mersa Matruh is 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.00

$4.20 E£234

300.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.8

$19.05 E£1,062

258.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.19

$4.72 E£264

142.16%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.62

$1.27 E£70.6

219.69%

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

$2.74 €2.45

$0.33 E£18.14

730.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.11 E£6.01

381.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.07

$1.36 E£75.8

318.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.07

$2.79 E£156

103.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.87 E£48.65

112.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.66 E£37.07

118.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.52

$0.65 E£36.07

333.85%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.33

$1.19 E£66.1

308.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.61

$3.80 E£212

301.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.23

$4.24 E£237

144.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €17.02

$9.23 E£515

106.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.54 E£86.1

44.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.75 E£41.82

156.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.55 E£30.85

156.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.35 E£19.76

482.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.26 E£14.59

303.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.30 E£16.70

290.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.27 E£15.19

300.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.22 E£11.99

281.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.90

$1.85 E£103

196.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.07

$5.67 E£316

79.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.25 E£69.6

70.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.28 E£127

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.21 E£11.72

552.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.48

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.91

$0.56 E£31.13

683.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.17 E£9.23

488.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.82

$1.20 E£67.1

1285.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.12

$0.43 E£24.06

453.49%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$32.5K E£1.8M

-12.56%

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

$27.2K €24.3K

$27.1K E£1.5M

0.53%

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

$203 €181

$14.05 E£784

1347.83%

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

$26.79 €23.88

$6.68 E£373

301.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.88

$13.50 E£753

123.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.84

$15.88 E£885

238.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.53

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.44

$2.91 E£162

263.92%

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

$566 €505

$85.0 E£4,740

566.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$2,090 E£116.6K

515.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.4

$33.72 E£1,881

164.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.08

$45.91 E£2,560

-11.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.5

$128 E£7,112

-18.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$57.4 E£3,202

116.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €650

$128 E£7,152

468.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €577

$76.7 E£4,278

743.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,184

$256 E£14.3K

419.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,042

$144 E£8,048

709.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,586

$772 E£43.0K

421.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,105

$354 E£19.7K

884.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,105

$94.2 E£5,253

1216.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

21.33

-79.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8% 88.2% $571

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6% 59.6% $186

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9% 71.5% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5% 86.9% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Mersa Matruh

$119 26% 26% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7% 71% $53

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5% 95% $42

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 $729 in Athens and $128 in Mersa Matruh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 13 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Athens vs $19 in Mersa Matruh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $126 per month, with Mersa Matruh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

140,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Mersa Matruh 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Mersa Matruh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mersa Matruh wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mersa Matruh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 13 times higher, 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: $729 in Athens versus $128 in Mersa Matruh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $566 in Athens versus $85 in Mersa Matruh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mersa Matruh – a meal for two runs $19 versus $68 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $457 in Mersa Matruh versus $1,771 in Athens, a $800 budget is realistic in Mersa Matruh but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mersa Matruh 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 – Mersa Matruh wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.