Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Paola

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,086 in Paola, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Paola
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Paola Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Paola

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Paola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,086 in Paola.

Athens $1,775
Paola $2,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,108 in Paola.

Athens $2,721
Paola $3,108

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,130 in Paola.

Athens $3,666
Paola $4,130

Living in Athens costs roughly 15% less than in Paola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Paola 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$19.50 €17.34

-14.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$86.7 €77.1

-21.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$13.16 €11.70

-15.35%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.67 €2.38

50.94%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.04 €2.70

-8.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.21 €1.96

-75.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$4.47 €3.98

28.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.10 €4.54

6.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.34 €1.19

35.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.30 €1.16

6.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$4.42 €3.93

-36.65%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.16 €3.70

16.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.00 €7.11

88.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$10.33 €9.19

2.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$18.58 €16.53

-0.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.27 €3.80

-48.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.70 €2.40

-29.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.68 €3.27

-62.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.29 €2.93

-36.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.45 €2.18

-55.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.03 €1.81

-44.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.28 €2.03

-50.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.29 €1.14

-31.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.64 €5.90

-17.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.91 €7.04

28.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.68 €1.50

26.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.35 €2.09

-4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.57 €2.28

-47.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.59 €4.98

-20.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.20 €1.96

-53.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$27.01 €24.02

-37.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.54 €1.37

46.10%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$37.7K €33.5K

-25.64%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.9K €34.6K

-27.48%

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

$205 €182

$102 €91.1

99.77%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$25.39 €22.58

4.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$42.44 €37.75

-28.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$59.8 €53.2

-8.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.88 €8.79

5.47%

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

$569 €506

$359 €320

58.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$11.0K €9,795

14.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$86.8 €77.2

2.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$40.15 €35.72

0.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$98.5 €87.6

6.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$78.9 €70.2

53.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,294 €1,151

-42.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,066 €948

-38.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,778 €1,582

-26.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,645 €1,463

-30.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,598 €3,200

11.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,442 €2,172

41.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

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 Paola: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Paola

$1.1K 51.1% 62.8% $411

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Paola

$326 15.6% 4.9% $15

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Paola

$281 13.5% 4.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Paola

$170 8.2% 34.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Paola

$137 6.6% 14.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Paola

$80 3.8% 5.7% $4.3

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Paola

$27 * 1.3% 40.2% $18

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 $1,294 in Paola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $87.0 in Paola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $326 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇹 Paola

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

13:47 1:47 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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Between locations

Athens Paola 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Paola

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 Paola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Paola. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $3,129 in Paola 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: $741 in Athens versus $1,294 in Paola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $359 in Paola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $87.0 in Paola. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,086 in Paola, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Paola. 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 Paola 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Paola. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.