Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Santorini

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,113 in Santorini, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Santorini
Learn more

Santorini Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Santorini

🇬🇷 Greece

$2,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Santorini

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,113 in Santorini.

Athens $1,775
Santorini $2,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $3,080 in Santorini.

Athens $2,721
Santorini $3,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $4,046 in Santorini.

Athens $3,666
Santorini $4,046

Living in Athens costs roughly 16% less than in Santorini, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Santorini 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$26.66 €23.72

-37.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$87.6 €77.9

-22.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$15.56 €13.84

-28.41%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.64 €4.13

-13.15%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$3.71 €3.30

-25.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.33 €1.18

-58.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.63 €5.01

1.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$7.20 €6.41

-24.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.99 €1.77

-8.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.41 €1.26

-2.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.38 €3.00

-17.16%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$6.54 €5.82

-26.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$14.26 €12.68

5.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$7.71 €6.86

37.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$18.06 €16.07

2.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.76 €2.46

-20.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.22 €1.97

-14.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.62 €1.44

-15.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.39 €3.01

-38.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.55 €2.27

-57.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.40 €3.02

-67.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.01 €0.90

10.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.60 €0.53

46.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.53 €5.81

-16.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.68 €5.05

78.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.95 €1.73

9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.72 €2.42

-17.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.72 €2.42

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$29.26 €26.03

2.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$2.20 €1.95

102.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.07 €1.84

-50.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$14.23 €12.66

18.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.27 €2.02

-0.88%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$44.6K €39.7K

-37.21%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$45.7K €40.6K

-38.18%

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

$205 €182

$305 €271

-32.90%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$43.85 €39.00

-39.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$33.93 €30.18

-10.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$78.9 €70.2

-30.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$25.20 €22.41

2.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$6.59 €5.86

58.12%

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

$569 €506

$601 €535

-5.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$67.3 €59.9

31.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$50.1 €44.54

-19.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$75.1 €66.8

39.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$113 €100

7.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,587 €1,411

-53.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$758 €674

-13.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,299 €1,155

0.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,034 €920

11.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$5,070 €4,510

-20.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,313 €2,947

4.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,181 €1,050

5.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.15

7.95%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santorini: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Santorini

$758 35.9% 15.8% $103

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Santorini

$312 14.8% 0.5% $1.6

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Santorini

$378 17.9% 41.2% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Santorini

$383 18.1% 46.3% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Santorini

$137 6.5% 14.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Santorini

$92 4.4% 22.2% $17

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Santorini

$53 2.5% 17.4% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,587 in Santorini. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 5% 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 $88.0 in Santorini for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $312 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Santorini

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,233

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Santorini 230 km

From you

Athens
Santorini

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 Santorini: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Santorini. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% 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 $1,587 in Santorini. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $88.0 in Santorini. 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 $2,113 in Santorini – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,113 in Santorini, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Santorini. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Santorini 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Santorini. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.