Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Roquetas de Mar

For one person, living is cheaper in Roquetas de Mar: $1,444 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,775
/mo nomad
Roquetas de Mar
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,444
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Roquetas de Mar

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 Roquetas de Mar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,444 in Roquetas de Mar.

  • Athens $1,775
  • Roquetas de Mar $1,444

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,082 in Roquetas de Mar.

  • Athens $2,721
  • Roquetas de Mar $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,720 in Roquetas de Mar.

  • Athens $3,666
  • Roquetas de Mar $2,720

Living in Athens is roughly 23% more expensive than in Roquetas de Mar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Roquetas de Mar 7% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.69 €14.84
$16.63 €14.80
0.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.8 €60.3
$55.5 €49.40
22.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.14 €9.91
$10.65 €9.47
4.60%
Cappuccino
$4.03 €3.58
$2.06 €1.83
95.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 €2.46
$2.77 €2.47
-
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
$4.24 €3.77
35.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.45 €4.85
$4.36 €3.88
25.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.27 €1.13
43.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 €1.23
$1.65 €1.46
-16.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.80 €2.49
$1.83 €1.62
53.01%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.30
$3.47 €3.09
39.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.05 €13.39
$15.93 €14.17
-5.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.63 €9.45
$9.02 €8.02
17.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.43 €16.39
$13.13 €11.68
40.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.20 €1.96
$2.63 €2.34
-16.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 €1.69
$1.88 €1.68
1.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.51 €1.34
-9.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$2.29 €2.04
-8.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 €0.96
$1.86 €1.66
-41.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.89 €1.68
-40.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.36 €1.21
-17.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.71 €0.63
23.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.48 €4.88
$6.08 €5.41
-9.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.13 €9.01
$5.44 €4.84
86.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 €1.89
$1.14 €1.02
86.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 €2.00
$1.69 €1.50
33.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.36 €1.21
$0.97 €0.86
40.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.89 €26.59
$33.43 €29.73
-10.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.45 €3.96
$7.89 €7.02
-43.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 €0.90
$2.24 €1.99
-54.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.92 €15.05
$17.83 €15.86
-5.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.25 €2.00
$1.82 €1.62
23.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €24.9K
$35.2K €31.4K
-20.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K €25.1K
$29.0K €25.8K
-2.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 €182
$135 €121
51.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.65 €23.71
$16.03 €14.26
66.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.38 €27.02
$27.01 €24.03
12.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.5 €48.47
$35.59 €31.66
53.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.88 €23.02
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.42 €9.27
$8.22 €7.31
26.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$569 €506
$383 €341
48.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.6K €11.2K
$10.7K €9,514
17.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.7 €78.9
$72.6 €64.5
22.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.46 €35.99
$35.56 €31.63
13.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.3
$96.7 €86.0
8.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$119 €105
2.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$741 €659
$568 €505
30.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$655 €582
$506 €450
29.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,300 €1,156
$769 €684
69.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,148 €1,021
$590 €525
94.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,014 €3,570
$2,029 €1,805
97.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,460 €3,078
$1,643 €1,461
110.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,242 €1,105
$1,266 €1,127
-1.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
3.18
40.88%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Roquetas de Mar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$655
Roquetas de Mar
$506 22.7% $149
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$310
Roquetas de Mar
$268 13.7% $43
Eating Out
Athens
$268
Roquetas de Mar
$238 11.4% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$262
Roquetas de Mar
$179 31.8% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$160
Roquetas de Mar
$146 9% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$75
Roquetas de Mar
$52 30.9% $23
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Roquetas de Mar
$56 25.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $568 in Roquetas de Mar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roquetas de Mar pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $56.0 in Roquetas de Mar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $268 per month, with Roquetas de Mar cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇪🇸 Roquetas de Mar
🕒 Local time
12:31 12:31 PM
11:31 11:31 AM
1 h behind Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
106,510
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Roquetas de Mar 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Athens
  • Roquetas de Mar

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 Roquetas de Mar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Roquetas de Mar?
Roquetas de Mar wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Roquetas de Mar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Roquetas de Mar?
On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Roquetas de Mar. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athens compared to Roquetas de Mar?
Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $568 in Roquetas de Mar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Roquetas de Mar?
Dining out is cheaper in Roquetas de Mar – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $68.0 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 Roquetas de Mar?
All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,444 in Roquetas de Mar – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Athens or in Roquetas de Mar?
At $1,444 in Roquetas de Mar versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Roquetas de Mar but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Roquetas de Mar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Athens or Roquetas de Mar?
Both work as nomad bases, but Roquetas de Mar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,444 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Roquetas de Mar hard to pass up.
How safe is Athens compared to Roquetas de Mar?
Safety-wise, Athens and Roquetas de Mar 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 Roquetas de Mar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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