Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Santa Cruz de La Palma

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz de La Palma: $1,622 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,771
/mo nomad
Santa Cruz de La Palma
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,622
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 Santa Cruz de La Palma actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

  • Athens $1,771
  • Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,411 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

  • Athens $2,736
  • Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,411

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $3,200 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

  • Athens $3,701
  • Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,200

Living in Athens is roughly 9% more expensive than in Santa Cruz de La Palma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Santa Cruz de La Palma 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.83 €14.97
$16.58 €14.75
1.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.2 €60.7
$56.2 €49.96
21.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.43 €10.17
$10.99 €9.78
4.00%
Cappuccino
$4.06 €3.61
$2.32 €2.07
75.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 €2.44
$2.59 €2.31
5.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 €0.47
$1.78 €1.58
-70.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.69 €5.06
$3.33 €2.96
70.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.68 €5.06
$3.85 €3.42
47.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.85 €1.64
$1.16 €1.03
59.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.49 €1.33
-3.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.82 €2.51
$1.55 €1.37
81.94%
Eggs
$4.86 €4.32
$3.50 €3.12
38.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.27 €13.58
$11.61 €10.33
31.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.36 €9.21
$7.91 €7.04
30.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.10 €16.99
$17.25 €15.34
10.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 €1.98
$2.75 €2.44
-19.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.92 €1.71
$2.11 €1.88
-9.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.41 €1.25
$2.25 €2.00
-37.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.04 €1.82
$2.41 €2.14
-15.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.05 €0.93
$1.89 €1.68
-44.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 €1.04
$2.15 €1.91
-45.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 €0.96
$1.42 €1.26
-23.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 €0.75
$0.70 €0.63
20.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.49 €4.89
$5.75 €5.12
-4.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.17 €9.05
$6.05 €5.38
68.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 €1.90
$1.11 €0.99
91.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 €2.03
$2.34 €2.08
-2.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.66 €1.47
-17.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.71 €26.43
$33.48 €29.78
-11.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.39 €3.90
$3.99 €3.55
10.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.00 €0.89
$1.25 €1.12
-20.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.63 €14.79
$23.77 €21.15
-30.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.38 €2.11
$1.75 €1.56
36.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K €25.3K
$36.8K €32.8K
-22.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K €24.2K
$27.1K €24.1K
0.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 €181
$139 €124
46.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.79 €23.83
$18.28 €16.26
46.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.16 €26.82
$27.14 €24.14
11.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.7 €47.74
$47.66 €42.39
12.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.40 €23.48
$15.19 €13.51
73.80%
Cinema Ticket
$10.59 €9.42
$8.93 €7.94
18.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$566 €504
$408 €363
38.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K €11.4K
$8,540 €7,596
50.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.1 €79.3
$88.1 €78.4
1.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.48 €36.01
$41.25 €36.69
-1.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.3
$84.9 €75.5
22.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$110 €97.7
13.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 €648
$904 €804
-19.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$647 €576
$674 €600
-3.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,328 €1,181
$1,343 €1,195
-1.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$1,027 €914
13.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,024 €3,579
$3,343 €2,974
20.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,483 €3,098
$2,209 €1,965
57.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,240 €1,103
$1,360 €1,210
-8.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
3.3
35.76%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz de La Palma: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$647
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$674 4.1% $27
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$312
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$267 14.6% $46
Eating Out
Athens
$271
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$235 13% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$260
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$185 29.1% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$161
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$146 9.4% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$75
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$66 12.5% $9.3
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$50 13% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $904 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz de La Palma pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $56.0 in Santa Cruz de La Palma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $267 per month, with Santa Cruz de La Palma cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma
🕒 Local time
00:32 12:32 AM
22:32 10:32 PM
2 h behind Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
15,441
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Santa Cruz de La Palma 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Athens
  • Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 Santa Cruz de La Palma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Santa Cruz de La Palma?
Santa Cruz de La Palma wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Cruz de La Palma the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Santa Cruz de La Palma?
On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Santa Cruz de La Palma. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athens compared to Santa Cruz de La Palma?
Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Athens versus $904 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Santa Cruz de La Palma?
Dining out is cheaper in Santa Cruz de La Palma – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Athens compared to Santa Cruz de La Palma?
All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Athens or in Santa Cruz de La Palma?
At $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $1,771 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz de La Palma but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz de La Palma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Athens or Santa Cruz de La Palma?
Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Cruz de La Palma delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,622 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Cruz de La Palma hard to pass up.
How safe is Athens compared to Santa Cruz de La Palma?
Safety-wise, Athens and Santa Cruz de La Palma are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Santa Cruz de La Palma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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