Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Palermo

For one person, living is cheaper in Palermo: $1,578 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Palermo
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Palermo Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Palermo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,578

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Palermo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,578 in Palermo.

Athens $1,806
Palermo $1,578

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,300 in Palermo.

Athens $2,731
Palermo $2,300

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,023 in Palermo.

Athens $3,656
Palermo $3,023

Living in Athens is roughly 14% more expensive than in Palermo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Palermo 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$15.14 €13.51

10.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$57.2 €51.0

15.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$11.04 €9.85

0.18%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.03 €1.82

103.94%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.33 €2.08

20.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.26 €1.13

-54.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$5.58 €4.98

1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.86 €3.45

41.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.25 €1.12

56.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.84 €1.64

-23.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.73 €2.44

3.66%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$2.88 €2.57

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$14.95 €13.34

2.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$11.80 €10.53

-12.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$17.33 €15.46

9.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.89 €2.58

-24.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.12 €1.89

-9.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.87 €2.57

-51.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.97 €2.65

-25.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.73 €1.54

-36.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.46 €1.31

-22.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.79 €1.60

-38.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.43 €0.39

93.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$6.88 €6.14

-18.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$7.51 €6.70

35.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$3.02 €2.70

-18.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.54 €1.37

-10.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$35.26 €31.46

-12.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$3.46 €3.09

26.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.15 €1.03

-9.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$37.50 €33.46

-54.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.03 €1.81

13.79%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$36.9K €32.9K

-24.07%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$35.8K €32.0K

-21.77%

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

$210 €187

$225 €201

-6.65%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$10.21 €9.11

161.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$26.52 €23.67

13.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$45.74 €40.81

19.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$31.52 €28.13

-17.42%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$9.07 €8.09

18.85%

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

$575 €513

$453 €404

27.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$5,713 €5,098

129.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$72.5 €64.7

28.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$31.45 €28.07

29.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$84.5 €75.4

23.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$126 €113

1.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$743 €663

1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$499 €446

30.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,090 €973

18.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$716 €639

62.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$2,595 €2,315

54.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$1,296 €1,156

166.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,634 €1,458

-23.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.39

32.15%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Palermo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Palermo

$499 32% 23.5% $153

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Palermo

$315 20.2% 0.1% $0.5

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Palermo

$229 14.7% 14.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Palermo

$261 16.8% 1.9% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Palermo

$142 9.1% 14% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Palermo

$64 4.1% 16.1% $12

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Palermo

$51 3.2% 10.2% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $743 in Palermo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palermo pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $57.0 in Palermo. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $315, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇹 Palermo

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

628,165

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Palermo 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Palermo

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 Palermo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palermo wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Palermo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Palermo. 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: $756 in Athens versus $743 in Palermo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Palermo – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,578 in Palermo – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,578 in Palermo versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Palermo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Palermo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Palermo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,578 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Palermo hard to pass up.

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

Expats usually find Palermo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.