Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mindelo

For one person, living is cheaper in Mindelo: $388 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 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

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Mindelo

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mindelo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $388 in Mindelo.

Athens $1,779
Mindelo $388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $894 in Mindelo.

Athens $2,721
Mindelo $894

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,399 in Mindelo.

Athens $3,663
Mindelo $1,399

Living in Athens is roughly 358% more expensive than in Mindelo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Mindelo is 71% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$8.86 CVE 867

89.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$54.8 CVE 5,358

20.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.14 CVE 112

257.89%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.28 CVE 126

116.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$1.04 CVE 102

-48.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$2.74 CVE 268

108.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.48 CVE 144

322.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.45 CVE 142

26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.10 CVE 108

30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$0.78 CVE 76.4

242.31%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.57 CVE 251

92.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$15.99 CVE 1,565

-5.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$17.27 CVE 1,690

14.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.12 CVE 208

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.97 CVE 193

0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.91 CVE 285

-54.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.08 CVE 302

-29.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.85 CVE 83.1

24.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.68 CVE 164

-31.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.03 CVE 100

4.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.71 CVE 69.3

19.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$5.00 CVE 489

9.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$8.04 CVE 787

24.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.96 CVE 192

4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.06 CVE 202

15.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.42 CVE 40.77

221.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$30.05 CVE 2,940

1.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.56 CVE 153

144.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.55 CVE 151

-33.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$9.97 CVE 975

65.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.65 CVE 162

41.82%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

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

$26.6K €23.7K

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

$202 €180

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

$26.81 €23.88

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$2.98 CVE 292

819.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

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

$568 €506

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$358 CVE 35.1K

254.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$254 CVE 24.9K

340.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mindelo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Mindelo

–

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Mindelo

–

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Mindelo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Mindelo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Mindelo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mindelo

–

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mindelo

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $55 in Mindelo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $237 per month, with Mindelo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇻 Mindelo

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

17:30 5:30 PM

3 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

70,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CVE = 10.22 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, 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).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 97.85 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Mindelo 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Mindelo

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 Mindelo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mindelo wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mindelo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $582 in Mindelo 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.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $388 in Mindelo – Mindelo is about 78% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $388 in Mindelo versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mindelo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mindelo 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 Mindelo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.