Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Scalea

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Scalea: $1,771 and $1,727 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
Learn more

Scalea Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Scalea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,727 in Scalea.

Athens $1,771
Scalea $1,727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,568 in Scalea.

Athens $2,736
Scalea $2,568

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $3,408 in Scalea.

Athens $3,701
Scalea $3,408

Living in Athens is roughly 3% more expensive than in Scalea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Scalea 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$16.97 €15.09

-0.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$55.3 €49.17

23.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$11.26 €10.01

1.51%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$2.09 €1.86

94.26%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$2.97 €2.64

-7.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$2.13 €1.89

-75.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$6.79 €6.04

-16.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$4.27 €3.80

33.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.26 €1.12

46.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.58 €1.41

-8.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.63 €2.34

7.22%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$3.48 €3.10

39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$11.38 €10.12

34.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$11.88 €10.57

-12.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$15.59 €13.87

22.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.92 €1.71

15.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.67 €1.49

14.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.38 €1.23

2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.56 €2.28

-20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.78 €1.58

-41.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.28 €1.14

-8.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.29 €1.14

-16.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.44 €0.39

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$6.86 €6.10

-19.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$7.68 €6.83

32.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.84 €1.64

15.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.54 €1.37

48.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.59 €1.41

-13.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$43.36 €38.57

-31.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$4.57 €4.06

-3.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.09 €0.97

-8.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$22.07 €19.63

-24.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.14 €1.90

11.21%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$36.3K €32.3K

-21.79%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$36.5K €32.4K

-25.37%

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

$203 €181

$306 €272

-33.57%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$10.58 €9.41

153.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$34.67 €30.84

-13.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$56.2 €49.99

-4.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$26.48 €23.55

-0.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$8.91 €7.93

18.86%

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

$566 €504

$457 €407

23.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$6,688 €5,949

92.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$82.6 €73.5

7.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$33.33 €29.64

21.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$88.0 €78.2

17.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$128 €114

-3.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$658 €585

10.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$558 €496

16.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$1,057 €940

25.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$976 €868

19.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$1,430 €1,272

181.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$1,170 €1,041

197.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.55

26.20%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Scalea: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Scalea

$558 32.3% 13.8% $90

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Scalea

$277 16% 11.3% $35

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Scalea

$258 14.9% 4.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Scalea

$351 20.4% 35% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Scalea

$150 8.7% 7.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Scalea

$74 4.3% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Scalea

$60 3.5% 34% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $658 in Scalea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $55.0 in Scalea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $277 per month, with Scalea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇹 Scalea

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

10,913

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Scalea 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Scalea

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 Scalea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scalea wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Scalea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,657 in Athens and $2,591 in Scalea to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Athens versus $658 in Scalea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Scalea – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $1,727 in Scalea – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,727 in Scalea versus $1,771 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Scalea but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Scalea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Scalea delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,727 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Scalea hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Scalea 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 Scalea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.