Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Santarem

For one person, living is cheaper in Santarem: $1,300 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Santarem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,300 in Santarem.

Athens $1,775
Santarem $1,300

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,014 in Santarem.

Athens $2,721
Santarem $2,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,729 in Santarem.

Athens $3,666
Santarem $2,729

Living in Athens is roughly 37% more expensive than in Santarem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Santarem is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$12.30 €10.94

35.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$39.39 €35.04

72.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$8.99 €8.00

23.92%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.71 €1.52

135.67%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.78 €1.59

55.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.15 €1.03

-52.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.17 €1.93

164.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.39 €3.02

60.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.14 €1.01

59.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.46 €0.41

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.09 €0.97

156.88%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.27 €2.91

47.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$11.05 €9.83

36.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$7.14 €6.35

48.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$13.42 €11.93

37.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.81 €2.50

-21.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.36 €1.21

39.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.50 €2.23

-45.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.12 €1.88

-0.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.40 €1.25

-22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.55 €1.38

-27.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.10 €0.97

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.31 €0.28

183.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.62 €5.00

-2.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.78 €5.14

75.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.22 €1.09

74.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.57 €3.17

-36.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.25 €2.00

-39.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$56.4 €50.2

-47.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.53 €3.14

26.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.04 €1.82

10.29%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$33.8K €30.1K

-17.06%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.4K €34.1K

-26.42%

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

$205 €182

$130 €116

57.32%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$20.74 €18.45

28.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$56.0 €49.81

-45.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$37.97 €33.78

43.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$6.65 €5.91

56.69%

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

$569 €506

$416 €370

36.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$18.4K €16.4K

-31.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$78.0 €69.3

13.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$37.74 €33.57

7.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$107 €95.6

-2.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$132 €117

-8.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$656 €584

12.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$412 €366

58.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,042 €927

24.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$810 €720

41.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,167 €1,927

85.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,103 €981

213.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,068 €950

16.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.76

-5.88%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santarem: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Santarem

$412 31.7% 37.1% $243

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Santarem

$226 17.4% 27.3% $85

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Santarem

$175 13.5% 34.6% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Santarem

$207 15.9% 21% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Santarem

$160 12.3% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Santarem

$51 4% 31.9% $24

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Santarem

$69 * 5.3% 53.6% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $656 in Santarem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 16% 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 $39.00 in Santarem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $226 per month, with Santarem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇹 Santarem

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

58,671

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Athens Santarem 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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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 Santarem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santarem wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santarem the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $741 in Athens versus $656 in Santarem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santarem – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,300 in Santarem – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,300 in Santarem versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santarem but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Santarem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santarem delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,300 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santarem hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Santarem 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 Santarem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.