Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and San Sebastian

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $1,948 in San Sebastian, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Sebastian outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in San Sebastian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,948 in San Sebastian.

Athens $1,775
San Sebastian $1,948

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,889 in San Sebastian.

Athens $2,721
San Sebastian $2,889

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,830 in San Sebastian.

Athens $3,666
San Sebastian $3,830

Living in Athens costs roughly 9% less than in San Sebastian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, San Sebastian 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.76 €14.90

-0.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$60.6 €53.9

11.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.58 €9.41

5.29%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.08 €1.85

93.75%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.87 €2.55

-3.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.62 €1.44

-66.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.44 €3.06

66.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.62 €3.22

50.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.13 €1.01

61.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.06 €0.94

30.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.75 €1.56

60.00%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.72 €3.31

29.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$22.34 €19.87

-32.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.17 €7.27

30.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$21.10 €18.77

-12.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.51 €2.24

-12.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.36 €2.10

-19.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.34 €2.97

-58.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.90 €2.58

-27.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.06 €1.83

-47.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.98 €1.76

-43.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.18 €1.05

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.61 €0.54

44.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.07 €5.40

-9.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.39 €6.58

37.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.08 €0.96

97.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.83 €1.63

22.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.11 €1.88

-35.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$33.85 €30.11

-11.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$6.57 €5.85

-32.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.91 €0.81

12.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$22.70 €20.19

-25.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.70 €1.51

32.35%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.2K €32.2K

-22.55%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$28.7K €25.5K

-1.67%

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

$205 €182

$136 €121

50.02%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$20.40 €18.15

30.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$35.36 €31.45

-14.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$42.41 €37.73

28.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$19.95 €17.75

29.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.44 €7.50

23.46%

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

$569 €506

$453 €403

25.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$13.7K €12.2K

-8.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$72.5 €64.5

22.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$31.46 €27.99

28.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$74.7 €66.5

40.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$134 €119

-9.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,407 €1,252

-47.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$954 €849

-31.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,239 €1,992

-41.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,522 €1,354

-24.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$9,603 €8,541

-58.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$4,748 €4,223

-27.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,027 €2,693

-58.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.92

53.42%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Sebastian: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

San Sebastian

$954 49% 45.8% $300

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

San Sebastian

$316 16.2% 1.7% $5.1

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

San Sebastian

$233 12% 13% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

San Sebastian

$192 9.9% 26.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

San Sebastian

$141 7.2% 12.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

San Sebastian

$59 3% 21.3% $16

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

San Sebastian

$53 2.7% 19% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,407 in San Sebastian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays 144% 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 $61.0 in San Sebastian. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $316, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

188,743

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Athens San Sebastian 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
San Sebastian

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 San Sebastian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in San Sebastian. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 144% lower in San Sebastian. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $1,407 in San Sebastian. 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 $68.0 versus $61.0 in San Sebastian. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,948 in San Sebastian – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,948 in San Sebastian, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in San Sebastian. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and San Sebastian 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in San Sebastian. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.