Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Riyadh

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Riyadh: $1,779 and $1,738 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
Learn more

Riyadh Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Riyadh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,738 in Riyadh.

Athens $1,779
Riyadh $1,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,575 in Riyadh.

Athens $2,721
Riyadh $2,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $3,413 in Riyadh.

Athens $3,663
Riyadh $3,413

Monthly costs are close between Athens and Riyadh; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 32% above, Riyadh 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$8.20 SAR 30.79

105.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$65.6 SAR 246

0.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$8.05 SAR 30.20

39.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 SAR 10.74

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$4.43 SAR 16.64

-7.90%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.87 SAR 3.28

218.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.33 SAR 1.25

63.64%

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

$1.80 SAR 6.75

2.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.29 SAR 4.83

10.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.34 SAR 8.80

14.10%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$3.11 SAR 11.67

59.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$10.65 SAR 39.96

41.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$9.36 SAR 35.12

17.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$15.07 SAR 56.6

31.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.92 SAR 10.95

-27.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.95 SAR 7.32

1.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.49 SAR 9.35

-46.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.70 SAR 6.39

27.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.18 SAR 4.43

-10.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.33 SAR 5.00

-13.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.75 SAR 6.58

-38.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.53 SAR 2.00

60.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.91 SAR 29.69

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$7.85 SAR 29.45

-30.45%

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

$1.03 SAR 3.86

31.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$36.93 SAR 139

-17.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.22 SAR 12.10

18.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.91 SAR 7.18

-46.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$13.08 SAR 49.10

26.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.64 SAR 2.41

265.62%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

4.35%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

18.78%

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

$202 €180

$105 SAR 394

92.52%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$29.43 SAR 110

-8.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$69.3 SAR 260

-56.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$77.4 SAR 291

-30.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$55.7 SAR 209

-50.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$14.00 SAR 52.6

-25.43%

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

$568 €506

$555 SAR 2,082

2.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$17.0K SAR 63.7K

-10.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$58.3 SAR 219

55.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$53.8 SAR 202

-26.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$104 SAR 391

0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$104 SAR 391

23.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$1,138 SAR 4,270

-34.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$842 SAR 3,160

-23.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$2,159 SAR 8,102

-41.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$1,263 SAR 4,739

-11.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$2,706 SAR 10.2K

47.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$1,655 SAR 6,212

98.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$2,088 SAR 7,837

-40.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.54

-19.86%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Riyadh

$842 48.5% 29.9% $194

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 23.8% $75

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Riyadh

$148 8.5% 45.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Riyadh

$204 11.7% 21.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 12% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Riyadh

$105 6.1% 40.7% $30

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Riyadh

$54 3.1% 19.9% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $1,138 in Riyadh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 68% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $66 in Riyadh. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $241, with Riyadh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

21:30 9:30 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

5,188,286 Capital

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Riyadh 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Riyadh

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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 40% 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 $1,138 in Riyadh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

A monthly transit pass in Athens runs roughly 17% less than in Riyadh. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Riyadh 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 Riyadh are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.