Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Ponta Delgada

For one person, living is cheaper in Ponta Delgada: $1,689 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Ponta Delgada
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Ponta Delgada Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Ponta Delgada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,689 in Ponta Delgada.

Athens $1,806
Ponta Delgada $1,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,391 in Ponta Delgada.

Athens $2,731
Ponta Delgada $2,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,092 in Ponta Delgada.

Athens $3,656
Ponta Delgada $3,092

Living in Athens is roughly 7% more expensive than in Ponta Delgada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Ponta Delgada 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$13.61 €12.14

22.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$45.22 €40.35

46.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$10.85 €9.69

1.94%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$1.81 €1.62

128.73%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.80 €1.61

55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.87 €1.67

-69.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.17 €2.83

77.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.74 €3.34

45.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.00 €0.89

96.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.61 €1.44

-12.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.73 €1.55

63.58%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.00 €2.67

68.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$16.81 €15.00

-8.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$11.58 €10.34

-10.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$16.61 €14.82

14.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.45 €2.19

-11.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.73 €1.54

10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.19 €1.95

-36.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.09 €2.76

-28.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.55 €1.38

-29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.65 €1.47

-31.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.87 €2.56

-61.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.01 €0.91

-17.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$5.13 €4.58

9.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$5.87 €5.24

73.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.43 €2.17

-10.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$3.19 €2.85

-23.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.72 €1.54

-19.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$56.5 €50.4

-45.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$5.75 €5.13

-24.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.36 €1.21

-23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$5.59 €4.99

206.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.09 €1.86

10.53%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$33.9K €30.2K

-17.34%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$40.6K €36.3K

-31.06%

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

$210 €187

$145 €129

44.76%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$18.87 €16.84

41.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$43.04 €38.41

-30.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$32.96 €29.41

65.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$19.89 €17.75

30.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$9.49 €8.47

13.59%

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

$575 €513

$279 €249

105.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$6,699 €5,978

95.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$47.95 €42.79

94.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$33.41 €29.81

21.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$66.4 €59.3

56.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$134 €119

-3.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,200 €1,071

-37.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$697 €622

-6.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,399 €1,248

-7.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$963 €859

20.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$3,972 €3,544

0.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$2,992 €2,670

15.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,401 €1,250

-11.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.71

20.75%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ponta Delgada: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Ponta Delgada

$697 41.7% 6.9% $45

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Ponta Delgada

$312 18.7% 0.9% $2.8

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Ponta Delgada

$201 12% 25.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Ponta Delgada

$207 12.4% 22.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Ponta Delgada

$127 7.6% 23.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Ponta Delgada

$52 3.1% 31.8% $24

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Ponta Delgada

$76 4.5% 65.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,200 in Ponta Delgada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ponta Delgada pays 13% 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 $45.00 in Ponta Delgada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $312 per month, with Ponta Delgada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

13:46 1:46 PM

3 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

67,233

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Ponta Delgada 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Ponta Delgada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ponta Delgada wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ponta Delgada the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Ponta Delgada. 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 $1,200 in Ponta Delgada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ponta Delgada – a meal for two runs $45.00 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 $1,689 in Ponta Delgada – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,689 in Ponta Delgada versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ponta Delgada but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Ponta Delgada the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ponta Delgada delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,689 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ponta Delgada hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Ponta Delgada 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 Ponta Delgada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.