Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Qatif

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatif: $1,132 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Qatif
Learn more

Qatif Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Qatif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,132

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Qatif

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,132 in Qatif.

Athens $1,779
Qatif $1,132

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,668 in Qatif.

Athens $2,721
Qatif $1,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,203 in Qatif.

Athens $3,663
Qatif $2,203

Living in Athens is roughly 57% more expensive than in Qatif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Qatif is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$3.38 SAR 12.70

397.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$34.57 SAR 130

90.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$6.71 SAR 25.19

67.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 SAR 6.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 SAR 8.69

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.09 SAR 11.61

32.04%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.76 SAR 2.86

264.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.17 SAR 0.63

217.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.81 SAR 6.80

1.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.91 SAR 3.40

57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.87 SAR 7.02

42.78%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.17 SAR 8.16

128.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$5.98 SAR 22.46

152.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$7.89 SAR 29.61

39.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$12.92 SAR 48.50

53.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.23 SAR 8.35

-4.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.72 SAR 6.45

15.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.64 SAR 6.14

-18.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.67 SAR 2.53

222.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.07 SAR 4.02

-0.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.10 SAR 4.13

4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.90 SAR 3.38

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.55 SAR 2.05

54.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.61 SAR 9.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SAR 5.43

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 SAR 8.03

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.26 SAR 23.49

-12.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.09 SAR 4.09

23.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$36.49 SAR 137

-16.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.23 SAR 8.36

70.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.51 SAR 1.93

101.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$13.87 SAR 52.1

18.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.58 SAR 2.19

303.45%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$29.6K SAR 111.0K

-6.08%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$20.4K SAR 76.7K

30.27%

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

$202 €180

$102 SAR 384

97.65%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$32.29 SAR 121

-16.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$57.3 SAR 215

-46.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$79.4 SAR 298

-31.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$20.92 SAR 78.5

30.98%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$13.51 SAR 50.7

-22.72%

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

$568 €506

$261 SAR 981

117.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$9,424 SAR 35.4K

61.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$32.04 SAR 120

182.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$20.97 SAR 78.7

87.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$94.3 SAR 354

11.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$91.1 SAR 342

41.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$565 SAR 2,119

31.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$406 SAR 1,525

59.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$888 SAR 3,334

43.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$608 SAR 2,280

84.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$965 SAR 3,623

314.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$773 SAR 2,902

324.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$2,222 SAR 8,339

-43.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.5

-19.27%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Qatif: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Qatif

$406 35.9% 37.3% $242

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Qatif

$186 16.5% 41.1% $130

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Qatif

$88 7.8% 67.6% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Qatif

$192 17% 26% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Qatif

$107 9.5% 34.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Qatif

$106 9.4% 42% $32

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Qatif

$46 4% 1.7% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $565 in Qatif. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Qatif pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $35 in Qatif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $186 per month, with Qatif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Qatif

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

00:24 12:24 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

87,332

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Qatif 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Qatif

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 Qatif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qatif wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Qatif the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Athens. 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: $742 in Athens versus $565 in Qatif. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Qatif – a meal for two runs $35 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,132 in Qatif – Qatif is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Qatif gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Qatif are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.