Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $1,928 in Rabat, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rabat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
Learn more

Rabat Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Rabat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,928 in Rabat.

Athens $1,775
Rabat $1,928

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,701 in Rabat.

Athens $2,721
Rabat $2,701

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,474 in Rabat.

Athens $3,666
Rabat $3,474

Living in Athens costs roughly 8% less than in Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Rabat 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.55 €14.72

0.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$50.4 €44.82

34.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.19 €9.96

-0.45%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.25 €2.00

79.11%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.48 €2.20

11.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.69 €1.51

-67.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.33 €2.97

72.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.43 €3.05

58.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.11 €0.99

63.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.34 €1.19

2.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.26 €2.01

23.89%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.50 €3.11

38.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$7.97 €7.09

88.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$7.87 €7.00

35.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$12.51 €11.13

47.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.12 €3.67

-46.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.18 €1.94

-12.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.55 €3.16

-61.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.21 €1.97

-4.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.15 €1.02

-6.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.14 €1.01

-1.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.09 €0.97

2.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.09 €0.97

-19.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.80 €6.05

-19.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$8.23 €7.32

23.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.76 €1.57

21.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.44 €2.17

-7.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.71 €2.41

-49.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.73 €5.09

-22.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.21 €1.96

-53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$26.77 €23.81

-36.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.51 €1.34

49.01%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$37.7K €33.6K

-25.74%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.6K €34.3K

-26.89%

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

$205 €182

$101 €90.2

101.78%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$12.17 €10.82

118.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$42.85 €38.12

-29.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$62.1 €55.3

-12.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$22.18 €19.73

16.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.09 €8.98

3.27%

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

$569 €506

$369 €328

54.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$11.3K €10.0K

11.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$86.2 €76.7

2.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$27.60 €24.55

46.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$73.7 €65.6

42.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$76.8 €68.3

57.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,051 €934

-29.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,049 €933

-37.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,735 €1,543

-25.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,460 €1,299

-21.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$4,396 €3,910

-8.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,149 €2,801

9.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,318 €1,173

-5.76%

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 Rabat: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Rabat

$1K 54.4% 60.2% $394

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Rabat

$261 13.5% 16% $50

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Rabat

$233 12.1% 13% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Rabat

$156 8.1% 40.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Rabat

$119 6.2% 25.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Rabat

$82 4.3% 9.3% $7

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Rabat

$28 * 1.4% 38.5% $17

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 $1,051 in Rabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rabat pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $50.0 in Rabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $261 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇹 Rabat

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

16:59 4:59 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

11,497

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Rabat 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Rabat

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 Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Rabat. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Rabat. 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: $741 in Athens versus $1,051 in Rabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $369 in Rabat. 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 $50.0 in Rabat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,928 in Rabat, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Rabat. 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 Rabat 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 9% less than in Rabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.