Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sakakah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakakah: $1,223 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Sakakah
Learn more

Sakakah Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Sakakah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sakakah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,223 in Sakakah.

Athens $1,779
Sakakah $1,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,793 in Sakakah.

Athens $2,721
Sakakah $1,793

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,364 in Sakakah.

Athens $3,663
Sakakah $2,364

Living in Athens is roughly 46% more expensive than in Sakakah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Sakakah is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$5.81 SAR 21.79

189.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$36.64 SAR 138

80.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$7.81 SAR 29.29

43.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.80

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.65 SAR 13.69

11.78%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.64 SAR 2.40

332.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.34 SAR 1.28

58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.67 SAR 6.26

10.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.35 SAR 5.08

5.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.36 SAR 8.85

13.14%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.38 SAR 8.94

107.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.68 SAR 28.82

96.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$6.77 SAR 25.42

62.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$12.59 SAR 47.25

57.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.22 SAR 8.33

-4.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.72 SAR 6.46

15.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.59 SAR 5.97

-16.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.56 SAR 5.85

38.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.23 SAR 4.63

-13.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.32 SAR 4.95

-12.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.19 SAR 4.45

-9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.53 SAR 1.98

60.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.76 SAR 10.37

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 SAR 7.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$5.84 SAR 21.92

-6.51%

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

$0.98 SAR 3.69

37.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$36.58 SAR 137

-16.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.81 SAR 10.55

35.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.73 SAR 6.50

-40.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$14.80 SAR 55.6

11.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.59 SAR 2.23

296.61%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$25.1K SAR 94.4K

10.44%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$24.2K SAR 90.9K

9.87%

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

$202 €180

$119 SAR 445

70.43%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$37.42 SAR 140

-28.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$73.6 SAR 276

-58.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$79.1 SAR 297

-31.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$11.94 SAR 44.80

-12.56%

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

$568 €505

$380 SAR 1,426

49.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$11.0K SAR 41.2K

38.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$38.10 SAR 143

137.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$59.7 SAR 224

-34.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$101 SAR 379

4.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$80.6 SAR 303

59.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$563 SAR 2,114

31.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$398 SAR 1,494

62.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$872 SAR 3,274

45.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$604 SAR 2,267

85.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,840 SAR 6,905

117.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,239 SAR 4,651

164.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$912 SAR 3,422

36.57%

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 Sakakah: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Sakakah

$398 32.6% 38.6% $250

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Sakakah

$197 16.1% 37.8% $119

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Sakakah

$118 9.6% 56.7% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Sakakah

$230 18.8% 11.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Sakakah

$126 10.3% 23.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sakakah

$103 8.4% 37.4% $28

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sakakah

$52 4.3% 15.8% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $563 in Sakakah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 37% 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 in Athens vs $37 in Sakakah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $197 per month, with Sakakah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Sakakah

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

242,813

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Sakakah 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Sakakah

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 Sakakah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sakakah wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sakakah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $563 in Sakakah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sakakah – a meal for two runs $37 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,223 in Sakakah – Sakakah is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,223 in Sakakah versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sakakah but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sakakah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Sakakah wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.