Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Santa Pola

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Pola: $1,647 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Santa Pola
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Santa Pola Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Santa Pola

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Santa Pola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,647 in Santa Pola.

Athens $1,775
Santa Pola $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,408 in Santa Pola.

Athens $2,721
Santa Pola $2,408

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,170 in Santa Pola.

Athens $3,666
Santa Pola $3,170

Living in Athens is roughly 8% more expensive than in Santa Pola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Santa Pola 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.93 €15.06

-1.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$55.7 €49.52

21.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.25 €10.00

-0.98%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.34 €2.08

72.22%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.57 €2.29

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.78 €1.59

-69.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.46 €3.08

65.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.63 €3.23

50.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.21 €1.08

50.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.50 €1.33

-8.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.55 €1.38

80.65%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.20 €2.84

50.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.64 €12.14

10.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.31 €7.39

27.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$15.66 €13.93

17.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.51 €2.23

-12.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.61 €1.44

18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.92 €1.71

-28.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.51 €2.23

-16.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.80 €1.60

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.99 €1.77

-43.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.32 €1.18

-15.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.72 €0.64

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.24 €5.55

-12.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.70 €5.07

77.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.22 €1.08

74.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.13 €1.90

5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.61 €1.44

-15.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$32.11 €28.56

-6.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.01 €3.56

10.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.41 €1.25

-27.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$23.33 €20.75

-27.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.82 €1.62

23.63%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$34.9K €31.0K

-19.58%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$29.3K €26.0K

-3.55%

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

$205 €182

$144 €128

42.26%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$18.14 €16.13

46.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$30.11 €26.78

0.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$45.43 €40.41

19.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$15.40 €13.70

68.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.07 €8.07

14.88%

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

$569 €506

$478 €425

19.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$8,406 €7,477

49.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$86.6 €77.0

2.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$36.80 €32.73

9.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$88.8 €79.0

18.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$111 €98.8

9.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$905 €805

-18.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$694 €617

-5.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,370 €1,218

-5.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,002 €892

14.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,268 €2,907

22.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,175 €1,935

59.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

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 10, 2026

Last update for Santa Pola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Santa Pola

$694 42.1% 6% $39

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Santa Pola

$263 16% 15.3% $47

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Santa Pola

$239 14.5% 10.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Santa Pola

$192 11.7% 26.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Santa Pola

$145 8.8% 9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Santa Pola

$64 3.9% 15.6% $12

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Santa Pola

$50 3% 10.6% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $905 in Santa Pola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $56.0 in Santa Pola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $263 per month, with Santa Pola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 Santa Pola

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

37,816

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Santa Pola 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Santa Pola

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 Pola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Pola wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Pola the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $2,470 in Santa Pola 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: $741 in Athens versus $905 in Santa Pola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Pola – 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.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,647 in Santa Pola – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,647 in Santa Pola versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Pola but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Pola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Pola delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,647 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Pola hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Santa Pola 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 Santa Pola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.