Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Praia

For one person, living is cheaper in Praia: $1,192 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athens, Greece
Praia, Cape Verde
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,779
/mo nomad
Praia
🇨🇻 Cape Verde
$1,192
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Praia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,192 in Praia.

  • Athens $1,779
  • Praia $1,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,783 in Praia.

  • Athens $2,721
  • Praia $1,783

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,374 in Praia.

  • Athens $3,663
  • Praia $2,374

Living in Athens is roughly 49% more expensive than in Praia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Praia is 12% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Praia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.83 €14.99
$4.97 CVE 488
238.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.0 €58.8
$35.72 CVE 3,510
84.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.21 €9.98
$7.17 CVE 705
56.35%
Cappuccino
$4.08 €3.64
$2.57 CVE 252
58.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 €2.47
$1.54 CVE 152
79.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.48
$1.15 CVE 113
-53.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.70 €5.07
$2.50 CVE 245
128.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.26 €5.58
$1.99 CVE 196
214.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Praia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.64
$1.39 CVE 137
32.37%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 €1.27
$2.10 CVE 206
-31.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 €2.38
$3.44 CVE 338
-22.38%
Eggs
$4.95 €4.41
$2.25 CVE 221
120.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.09 €13.44
$25.37 CVE 2,493
-40.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.99 €9.79
$4.52 CVE 444
143.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.77 €17.60
$17.00 CVE 1,670
16.29%
Apples (1kg)
$2.12 €1.89
$4.99 CVE 491
-57.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 €1.76
$3.00 CVE 295
-34.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 €1.18
$4.13 CVE 406
-67.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$4.36 CVE 429
-50.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 €0.94
$1.50 CVE 147
-29.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 €1.02
$1.46 CVE 144
-21.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 €0.96
$0.92 CVE 90.9
17.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.75
$1.48 CVE 146
-42.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.46 €4.86
$5.12 CVE 503
6.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.03 €8.93
$8.20 CVE 806
22.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.82
$1.78 CVE 174
14.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 €2.12
$1.71 CVE 168
39.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Praia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 €1.20
$0.82 CVE 80.4
64.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.52 €27.18
$29.21 CVE 2,870
4.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 €3.39
$1.72 CVE 169
121.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 €0.92
$1.20 CVE 118
-14.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.49 €14.68
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.34 €2.09
$1.62 CVE 159
44.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K €24.7K
$29.1K CVE 2.9M
-4.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K €23.7K
$38.6K CVE 3.8M
-31.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Praia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 €180
$180 CVE 17.7K
12.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.81 €23.87
$18.47 CVE 1,814
45.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.49 €27.14
$50.6 CVE 4,973
-39.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Praia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 €48.14
$32.29 CVE 3,172
67.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.40 €24.40
$10.19 CVE 1,001
168.89%
Cinema Ticket
$10.44 €9.30
$5.66 CVE 556
84.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Praia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$568 €505
$125 CVE 12.2K
355.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.2K €13.5K
$3,045 CVE 299.2K
398.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Praia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.7 €80.7
$61.1 CVE 6,007
48.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.32 €35.01
$24.94 CVE 2,450
57.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.7
$64.9 CVE 6,380
62.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 €115
$91.1 CVE 8,951
41.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Praia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$742 €661
$564 CVE 55.4K
31.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$648 €577
$285 CVE 28.0K
127.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,271 €1,132
$900 CVE 88.4K
41.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,122 €999
$467 CVE 45.9K
140.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,999 €3,561
$1,335 CVE 131.2K
199.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,281 €2,921
$1,003 CVE 98.5K
227.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Praia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,245 €1,109
$298 CVE 29.3K
317.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.44
8
-44.50%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Praia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$648
Praia
$285 56.1% $364
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$316
Praia
$346 9.5% $30
Eating Out
Athens
$272
Praia
$119 56.1% $152
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$260
Praia
$249 3.9% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$164
Praia
$109 33.5% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$75
Praia
$44 41.8% $31
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Praia
$40 10.4% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $564 in Praia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $36 in Praia. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $346, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇨🇻 Praia
🕒 Local time
04:32 4:32 AM
01:32 1:32 AM
3 h behind Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
127,832 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 98.25 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Praia 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Athens
  • Praia

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 Praia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Praia?
Praia wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Praia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Praia?
Average pay in Athens is about 4.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athens compared to Praia?
Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $564 in Praia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Praia?
Dining out is cheaper in Praia – a meal for two runs $36 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Athens compared to Praia?
All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,192 in Praia – Praia is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Athens or in Praia?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Praia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Athens or Praia?
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.
How safe is Athens compared to Praia?
Safety-wise, Athens and Praia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Should I move to Athens or to Praia?
It comes down to priorities – Praia wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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