Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Santander

For one person, living is cheaper in Santander: $1,632 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Santander
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Santander Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Santander

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Santander

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,632 in Santander.

Athens $1,775
Santander $1,632

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,578 in Santander.

Athens $2,721
Santander $2,578

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,524 in Santander.

Athens $3,666
Santander $3,524

Living in Athens is roughly 9% more expensive than in Santander, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Santander 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.42 €14.61

1.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$56.6 €50.3

19.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.38 €10.12

-2.11%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.47 €2.20

63.16%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.46 €2.19

12.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.77 €1.57

-68.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.41 €3.03

68.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.80 €3.38

43.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.30 €1.16

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.82 €2.51

-51.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.40 €2.14

16.67%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.70 €3.29

30.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$22.23 €19.77

-32.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$7.82 €6.96

35.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$13.93 €12.39

32.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.41 €2.14

-8.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.25 €2.00

-15.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.89 €2.57

-52.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.48 €3.09

-39.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.88 €1.67

-42.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.52 €2.24

-55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.45 €1.29

-22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.78 €0.69

12.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$7.72 €6.87

-29.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.65 €5.02

79.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.21 €1.08

76.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.28 €2.03

-1.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.55 €1.38

-12.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$18.17 €16.16

64.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.52 €4.91

-19.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.28 €2.03

-55.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$38.67 €34.39

-56.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.74 €1.55

29.31%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$37.5K €33.3K

-25.23%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$30.4K €27.1K

-7.19%

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

$205 €182

$166 €148

23.19%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$34.79 €30.95

-23.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$37.29 €33.17

-18.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$46.49 €41.35

17.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$19.73 €17.55

31.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.03 €8.04

15.39%

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

$569 €506

$471 €419

20.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$8,911 €7,927

41.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$128 €114

-30.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$65.5 €58.3

-38.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$89.4 €79.5

17.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$113 €100

7.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$832 €740

-11.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$557 €496

17.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,471 €1,308

-11.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,113 €990

3.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,180 €2,829

26.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,630 €2,339

31.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,863 €1,657

-33.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.5

28.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santander: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Santander

$557 34.2% 14.8% $97

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Santander

$315 19.3% 1.6% $5

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Santander

$237 14.5% 11.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Santander

$238 14.6% 9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Santander

$178 10.9% 11.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Santander

$65 4% 14.3% $11

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Santander

$41 2.5% 8% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $832 in Santander. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santander pays 50% 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 $57.0 in Santander. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $315, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 Santander

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

20:28 8:28 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

172,726

💱 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 Santander 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Santander

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 Santander: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santander wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santander the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Santander. 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 $832 in Santander. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santander – a meal for two runs $57.0 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 $1,632 in Santander – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,632 in Santander versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santander but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Santander the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santander delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,632 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santander hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Santander 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 Santander 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.