Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $834 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,806
/mo nomad
Rabat
🇲🇦 Morocco
$834
/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: $1,806 in Athens versus $834 in Rabat.

  • Athens $1,806
  • Rabat $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,433 in Rabat.

  • Athens $2,731
  • Rabat $1,433

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $2,031 in Rabat.

  • Athens $3,656
  • Rabat $2,031

Living in Athens is roughly 117% more expensive than in Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Rabat is 38% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Rabat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.66 €14.85
$4.27 MAD 42.37
290.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €59.0
$40.69 MAD 404
62.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.06 €9.86
$6.91 MAD 68.6
60.06%
Cappuccino
$4.14 €3.69
$1.92 MAD 19.00
115.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 €2.50
$0.56 MAD 5.58
400.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 €0.51
$0.35 MAD 3.49
62.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.64 €5.03
$5.07 MAD 50.2
11.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.46 €4.86
$3.09 MAD 30.65
76.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Rabat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 €1.74
$0.86 MAD 8.53
127.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 €1.25
$0.65 MAD 6.41
116.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.83 €2.53
$1.91 MAD 18.94
48.17%
Eggs
$5.04 €4.49
$1.84 MAD 18.28
173.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.35 €13.68
$11.01 MAD 109
39.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.34 €9.22
$6.63 MAD 65.8
55.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.97 €16.92
$11.99 MAD 119
58.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.17 €1.93
$1.59 MAD 15.78
36.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 €1.70
$1.36 MAD 13.44
40.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 €1.23
$0.83 MAD 8.23
66.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.20 €1.96
$0.88 MAD 8.74
150.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.10 €0.98
$0.71 MAD 7.06
54.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 €1.00
$0.79 MAD 7.80
43.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 €0.98
$0.39 MAD 3.90
182.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 €0.74
$0.58 MAD 5.76
43.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.60 €4.99
$4.10 MAD 40.64
36.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.19 €9.08
$7.14 MAD 70.9
42.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.18 €1.95
$2.62 MAD 26.02
-16.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 €2.18
$2.61 MAD 25.90
-6.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Rabat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.38 €1.23
$0.49 MAD 4.86
181.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.87 €27.52
$24.98 MAD 248
23.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.37 €3.90
$0.72 MAD 7.13
506.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.04 €0.93
$0.58 MAD 5.76
79.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.11 €15.26
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.31 €2.06
$1.48 MAD 14.64
56.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €24.9K
$30.2K MAD 299.3K
-7.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.0K €25.0K
$29.6K MAD 293.6K
-5.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Rabat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$210 €187
$35.22 MAD 349
495.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.70 €23.80
$9.44 MAD 93.7
182.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.13 €26.86
$33.23 MAD 330
-9.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Rabat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.6 €48.68
$27.99 MAD 278
95.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.03 €23.21
$23.54 MAD 233
10.58%
Cinema Ticket
$10.78 €9.61
$5.97 MAD 59.2
80.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Rabat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$575 €513
$180 MAD 1,786
219.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.1K €11.7K
$9,210 MAD 91.3K
42.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Rabat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.2 €83.1
$46.06 MAD 457
102.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.68 €36.27
$39.15 MAD 388
3.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.8
$91.4 MAD 906
13.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 €114
$64.9 MAD 644
97.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Rabat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 €674
$521 MAD 5,171
44.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$652 €582
$268 MAD 2,661
143.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,294 €1,153
$956 MAD 9,485
35.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,163 €1,037
$686 MAD 6,809
69.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,008 €3,574
$1,967 MAD 19.5K
103.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,452 €3,078
$1,136 MAD 11.3K
203.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Rabat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,243 €1,109
$695 MAD 6,893
78.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
4.52
-0.88%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rabat: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$652
Rabat
$268 58.9% $384
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$315
Rabat
$201 36.2% $114
Eating Out
Athens
$269
Rabat
$113 57.9% $156
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$267
Rabat
$78 70.8% $189
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$165
Rabat
$109 34.1% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$76
Rabat
$40 47.6% $36
Getting Around
Athens
$46
Rabat
$31 33.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $521 in Rabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 79% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $41.00 in Rabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $201 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇲🇦 Rabat
🕒 Local time
10:01 10:01 AM
08:01 8:01 AM
2 h behind Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
573,895 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.92 MAD (1 MAD = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.12 MAD (100 MAD = 8.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Rabat 2,770 km ≈ 4 h 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
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Rabat?
Rabat wins on cost – living expenses run 117% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rabat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Rabat?
Average pay runs 79% higher in Athens, 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 Rabat?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $521 in Rabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Rabat?
Dining out is cheaper in Rabat – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $66.0 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 Rabat?
All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $834 in Rabat – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Athens or in Rabat?
At $834 in Rabat versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rabat but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Rabat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Athens or Rabat?
Both work as nomad bases, but Rabat delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $834 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rabat hard to pass up.
How safe is Athens compared to Rabat?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Rabat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Athens vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?