Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sari

For one person, living is cheaper in Sari: $872 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Sari
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Sari Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Sari

🇮🇷 Iran

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sari

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $872 in Sari.

Athens $1,779
Sari $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,083 in Sari.

Athens $2,721
Sari $1,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,293 in Sari.

Athens $3,663
Sari $1,293

Living in Athens is roughly 104% more expensive than in Sari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Sari is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$3.47 $3.47

385.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$12.21 $12.21

440.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$3.95 $3.95

183.80%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 $0.86

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.24 $1.24

229.03%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.51 $0.51

443.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.52 $0.52

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.52 $0.52

253.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.60 $0.60

138.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$3.42 $3.42

-21.93%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.25 $1.25

296.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$4.43 $4.43

240.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.35 $3.35

228.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$9.08 $9.08

117.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.43 $1.43

48.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.93 $1.93

2.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.27 $1.27

4.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.68 $0.68

217.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.53 $0.53

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.46 $0.46

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.49 $0.49

120.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.27 $0.27

214.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.82 $0.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.52 $2.52

116.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$9.86 $9.86

209.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.52 $0.52

632.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.31 $0.31

232.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.95 $2.95

458.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.10 $0.10

2240.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$50.2K $50.2K

-44.71%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$46.3K $46.3K

-42.54%

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

$202 €180

$13.14 $13.14

1438.96%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$1.60 $1.60

1575.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$3.83 $3.83

696.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$50.6 $50.6

6.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$11.99 $11.99

128.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$0.97 $0.97

976.29%

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

$568 €506

$50.0 $50.0

1034.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$798 $798

1803.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$25.92 $25.92

249.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$39.18 $39.18

0.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$114 $114

-7.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$74.0 $74.0

74.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$803 $803

-7.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$495 $495

31.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$706 $706

80.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$404 $404

177.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$846 $846

372.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$530 $530

519.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$245 $245

408.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

24.79

-82.09%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sari: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Sari

$495 56.7% 23.7% $154

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Sari

$122 14% 61.4% $194

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Sari

$59 6.7% 78.4% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Sari

$19 2.1% 92.8% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Sari

$114 13.1% 30.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sari

$53 6% 29.9% $22

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sari

$12 * 1.4% 73.4% $33

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 $742 in Athens and $803 in Sari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $12 in Sari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $122 per month, with Sari cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Sari

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

22:14 10:14 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

300,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Sari 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Sari

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 Sari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sari wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sari the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 5.1 times higher, 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: $742 in Athens versus $803 in Sari. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sari – a meal for two runs $12 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $872 in Sari – Sari is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $872 in Sari versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sari but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sari the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Athens and Sari are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sari wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.