Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Msida

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Msida: $1,775 and $1,778 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Msida
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Msida Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Msida

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Msida

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,778 in Msida.

Athens $1,775
Msida $1,778

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,648 in Msida.

Athens $2,721
Msida $2,648

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,519 in Msida.

Athens $3,666
Msida $3,519

Monthly costs are close between Athens and Msida; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Msida 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$11.27 €10.03

48.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$49.46 €43.99

37.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.92 €9.72

2.01%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.19 €1.95

84.02%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.17 €1.93

27.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.09 €0.97

-49.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$4.64 €4.13

23.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$3.29 €2.92

65.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.13 €1.00

61.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.36 €1.21

1.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$4.20 €3.74

-33.33%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.66 €2.36

81.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.11 €7.21

85.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$10.22 €9.09

4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$18.25 €16.23

0.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.10 €3.65

-46.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.80 €2.49

-32.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.60 €3.20

-61.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.38 €3.01

-37.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.52 €2.24

-57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.00 €1.78

-44.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.28 €2.03

-50.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.36 €1.21

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.63 €5.90

-17.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$8.16 €7.26

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.74 €1.55

22.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.42 €2.16

-7.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.20 €1.95

-38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.67 €5.04

-21.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.19 €1.95

-53.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$26.74 €23.79

-36.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.48 €1.31

52.03%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$37.2K €33.1K

-24.58%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$39.1K €34.8K

-27.76%

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

$205 €182

$83.7 €74.4

144.59%

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

$26.65 €23.70

$25.23 €22.44

5.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$27.58 €24.53

10.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.46

$56.2 €50.0

-3.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.01 €8.90

4.10%

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

$569 €506

$371 €330

53.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$10.9K €9,723

15.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$85.9 €76.4

3.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$40.53 €36.05

-0.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$97.8 €87.0

7.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$77.3 €68.7

57.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,033 €919

-28.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$895 €796

-26.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,758 €1,564

-26.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,479 €1,315

-22.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$2,714 €2,414

-54.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.9

54.48%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Msida: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Msida

$895 50.3% 36.7% $240

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Msida

$318 17.9% 2.4% $7.6

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Msida

$192 10.8% 28.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Msida

$136 7.7% 47.8% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Msida

$136 7.6% 15.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Msida

$76 4.3% 1.2% $0.9

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Msida

$25 * 1.4% 43.4% $19

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 $741 in Athens and $1,033 in Msida. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Msida pays 118% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $49.00 in Msida. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $318, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇹 Msida

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

18:58 6:58 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Athens Msida 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Msida

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 Msida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 118% lower in Msida. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $1,033 in Msida. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Msida. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $49.00 in Msida. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,778 in Msida, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Msida. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Msida are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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