Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Santiago de Compostela

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,439 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela.

Athens $1,775
Santiago de Compostela $1,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,215 in Santiago de Compostela.

Athens $2,721
Santiago de Compostela $2,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,991 in Santiago de Compostela.

Athens $3,666
Santiago de Compostela $2,991

Living in Athens is roughly 23% more expensive than in Santiago de Compostela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Santiago de Compostela 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$13.22 €11.76

26.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$66.5 €59.2

1.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.21 €8.19

20.96%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.95 €1.74

106.67%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.69 €2.39

2.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.17 €1.93

-74.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.10 €2.76

85.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.87 €3.44

40.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.20 €1.07

51.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.17 €1.04

17.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.32 €1.17

112.12%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.77 €2.47

74.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.85 €7.88

70.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$6.67 €5.93

59.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$17.00 €15.12

8.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.04 €1.81

7.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.09 €1.86

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.48 €1.32

-7.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.86 €2.54

-26.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.96 €1.74

-44.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.47 €1.30

-23.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.13 €1.01

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.84 €0.75

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.97 €5.31

-8.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.12 €4.55

97.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.45 €1.29

46.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.37 €2.11

-5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.19 €1.06

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$32.89 €29.26

-9.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.87 €4.33

-8.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.31 €1.17

-22.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$18.83 €16.75

-10.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.69 €1.50

33.14%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.4K €31.5K

-20.81%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$28.8K €25.7K

-2.12%

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

$205 €182

$155 €138

31.86%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$21.74 €19.34

22.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$32.64 €29.04

-6.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$51.2 €45.56

6.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$2.19 €1.95

1081.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.11 €8.99

3.07%

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

$569 €506

$331 €294

72.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$8,249 €7,337

52.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$87.7 €78.1

1.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$62.9 €55.9

-35.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$100.0 €88.9

4.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$92.3 €82.1

31.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$712 €633

4.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$516 €459

26.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,047 €931

24.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$869 €773

32.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,001 €2,670

33.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,094 €1,863

65.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,870 €1,663

-33.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.96

51.35%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Santiago de Compostela

$516 35.9% 21.2% $139

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Santiago de Compostela

$240 16.6% 22.8% $71

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Santiago de Compostela

$199 13.9% 25.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Santiago de Compostela

$210 14.6% 19.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Santiago de Compostela

$154 10.7% 3.5% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Santiago de Compostela

$71 5% 5.2% $3.9

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Santiago de Compostela

$49 3.4% 9.4% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $712 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de Compostela pays 51% 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 $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $240 per month, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🕒 Local time

20:45 8:45 PM

19:45 7:45 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

98,687

💱 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 Santiago de Compostela 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago de Compostela wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago de Compostela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Santiago de Compostela. 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 $712 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela – a meal for two runs $66.0 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 $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santiago de Compostela but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago de Compostela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santiago de Compostela delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,439 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santiago de Compostela hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.