Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Saintes

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $1,872 in Saintes, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Saintes
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Saintes Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Saintes

🇫🇷 France

$1,872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Saintes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,872 in Saintes.

Athens $1,759
Saintes $1,872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $2,858 in Saintes.

Athens $2,696
Saintes $2,858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $3,843 in Saintes.

Athens $3,632
Saintes $3,843

Living in Athens costs roughly 6% less than in Saintes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Saintes 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.32

$22.58 €20.29

-24.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.2

$68.3 €61.4

-3.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$6.52 €5.86

68.10%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$3.69 €3.31

11.11%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.71 €2.44

4.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$1.35 €1.21

-56.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$7.35 €6.60

-23.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$4.62 €4.15

22.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.04 €0.93

82.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.85 €1.66

-21.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$1.88 €1.69

44.15%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$2.26 €2.03

123.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.55

$23.82 €21.41

-36.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$11.79 €10.59

-12.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.43

$17.67 €15.88

9.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$4.20 €3.77

-49.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.71 €3.33

-48.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.94 €1.74

-27.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$5.14 €4.62

-58.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$0.76 €0.68

36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.20 €1.07

-5.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.71 €1.53

-33.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.34 €0.31

138.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$14.46 €12.99

-61.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.98

$12.93 €11.62

-22.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$2.39 €2.15

-14.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.36 €2.12

-3.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.86 €1.67

-29.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.56

$44.18 €39.69

-30.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.31 €2.08

-55.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$33.94 €30.49

-49.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.11

$1.94 €1.74

20.62%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$36.5K €32.8K

-22.55%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$38.1K €34.2K

-29.66%

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

$200 €180

$134 €120

49.11%

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

$25.17 €22.62

$11.13 €10.00

126.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$33.75 €30.33

-12.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.32

$35.92 €32.27

40.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.46

$9.91 €8.91

6.16%

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

$576 €518

$849 €762

-32.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$10.9K €9,791

18.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$109 €97.9

-17.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$38.98 €35.02

1.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$108 €97.0

-2.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$150 €134

-17.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$691 €621

7.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €578

$717 €644

-10.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$1,441 €1,295

-9.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$1,179 €1,060

-4.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,604

$3,571 €3,209

12.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,951

$3,323 €2,986

-1.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.79

18.21%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saintes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Saintes

$717 38.3% 11.6% $74

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Saintes

$364 19.4% 16.5% $52

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Saintes

$307 16.4% 12.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Saintes

$179 9.6% 29.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Saintes

$183 9.8% 13.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Saintes

$56 3% 22% $16

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Saintes

$68 3.6% 48.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $691 in Saintes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $68 in Saintes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $364 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇫🇷 Saintes

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

08:40 8:40 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

25,518

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Athens Saintes 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Saintes

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 Saintes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Saintes. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,639 in Athens and $2,808 in Saintes to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $740 in Athens versus $691 in Saintes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66 versus $68 in Saintes. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,759 per month in Athens versus $1,872 in Saintes – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.