Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sala

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,402 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,402 in Sala.

Athens $1,771
Sala $1,402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,012 in Sala.

Athens $2,736
Sala $2,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $2,623 in Sala.

Athens $3,701
Sala $2,623

Living in Athens is roughly 26% more expensive than in Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Sala 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$9.65 €8.58

74.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$33.98 €30.22

100.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$9.14 €8.13

25.05%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$3.09 €2.75

31.39%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$2.05 €1.83

33.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.41 €1.25

-62.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$2.31 €2.05

146.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$2.30 €2.04

146.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.05 €0.94

76.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.49 €1.33

-3.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.98 €1.76

42.42%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$3.44 €3.06

41.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$10.20 €9.08

49.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$7.77 €6.91

33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$11.03 €9.81

73.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.68 €1.49

32.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.97 €1.75

-2.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.37 €2.11

-40.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.66 €2.37

-23.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.32 €1.17

-20.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.51 €1.34

-22.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.59 €1.41

-32.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.79 €0.71

6.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$6.66 €5.92

-17.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$3.29 €2.93

209.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$0.95 €0.84

124.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.89 €1.68

20.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.05 €0.93

30.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$29.53 €26.27

0.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$1.69 €1.51

159.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.40 €0.36

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$13.24 €11.78

25.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.87 €1.66

27.27%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$25.5K €22.7K

11.50%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$22.3K €19.9K

21.79%

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

$203 €181

$233 €207

-12.79%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$19.40 €17.25

38.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$19.94 €17.74

51.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$40.23 €35.78

33.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$17.02 €15.14

55.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$9.17 €8.16

15.49%

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

$566 €504

$405 €360

39.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$7,368 €6,553

74.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$59.6 €53.0

49.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$31.06 €27.63

30.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$78.3 €69.7

32.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$93.2 €82.9

33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$644 €573

13.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$513 €456

26.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$993 €883

33.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$798 €710

46.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$3,587 €3,190

12.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$2,484 €2,210

40.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.57

25.49%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Sala

$513 36.6% 20.7% $134

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Sala

$231 16.5% 26.2% $82

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Sala

$172 12.3% 36.6% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Sala

$273 19.4% 4.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Sala

$118 8.4% 26.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sala

$59 4.2% 21.8% $16

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sala

$37 2.7% 16% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $644 in Sala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $34.00 in Sala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $231 per month, with Sala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇰 Sala

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

24,099

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Sala 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sala wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,657 in Athens and $2,103 in Sala 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: $729 in Athens versus $644 in Sala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sala – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $1,402 in Sala – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,402 in Sala versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sala but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sala delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,402 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sala hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Sala are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.