Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Samos

For one person, living is cheaper in Samos: $1,411 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities 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 Samos
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Samos Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Samos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,411 in Samos.

Athens $1,771
Samos $1,411

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,081 in Samos.

Athens $2,736
Samos $2,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $2,751 in Samos.

Athens $3,701
Samos $2,751

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Samos 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$11.13 €9.90

51.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$39.72 €35.33

71.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$6.87 €6.11

66.38%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$3.02 €2.68

34.44%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$2.36 €2.10

16.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.88 €0.78

-39.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$4.13 €3.67

37.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$6.45 €5.74

-11.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.53 €1.36

20.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.38 €1.23

4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.61 €2.32

8.05%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$4.56 €4.06

6.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$13.24 €11.78

15.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$9.65 €8.59

7.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$14.16 €12.59

34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.16 €1.92

2.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.01 €1.79

-4.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.42 €1.27

-0.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.94 €1.73

5.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.16 €1.03

-9.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.15 €1.02

1.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.09 €0.97

-0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.85 €0.76

-1.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$5.37 €4.77

2.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$6.76 €6.02

50.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.06 €1.83

3.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.62 €2.33

-12.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.37 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$44.20 €39.32

-32.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$4.30 €3.83

2.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.09 €0.97

-8.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$16.48 €14.66

0.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.15 €1.91

10.70%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$28.1K €25.0K

1.05%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$25.3K €22.5K

7.69%

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

$203 €181

$207 €184

-1.90%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$23.54 €20.94

13.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$30.70 €27.31

-1.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$51.3 €45.61

4.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$25.38 €22.57

4.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$8.94 €7.96

18.46%

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

$566 €504

$429 €382

31.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$7,664 €6,817

67.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$89.9 €80.0

-0.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$40.02 €35.59

1.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$86.7 €77.1

19.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$121 €108

2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$481 €428

51.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$400 €356

61.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$741 €659

79.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$611 €544

91.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$2,683 €2,387

49.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$2,181 €1,940

59.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$990 €881

25.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.46

0.45%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Samos: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Samos

$400 28.4% 38.1% $247

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Samos

$276 19.6% 11.7% $36

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Samos

$192 13.6% 28.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Samos

$262 18.5% 0.5% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Samos

$152 10.8% 5.5% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Samos

$69 4.9% 7.6% $5.7

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Samos

$59 4.2% 33.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $481 in Samos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 25% 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $40.00 in Samos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $276 per month, with Samos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Samos

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

33,814

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Samos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 25% 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: $729 in Athens versus $481 in Samos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Samos – a meal for two runs $40.00 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 $1,411 in Samos – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,411 in Samos versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Samos but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Samos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Samos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,411 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Samos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Samos 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 Samos 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.