Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Silves

For one person, living is cheaper in Silves: $1,629 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Athens despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Silves
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Silves Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Silves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Silves

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,629 in Silves.

Athens $1,775
Silves $1,629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,393 in Silves.

Athens $2,721
Silves $2,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,157 in Silves.

Athens $3,666
Silves $3,157

Living in Athens is roughly 9% more expensive than in Silves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Silves 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$13.54 €12.04

23.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$47.10 €41.90

43.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.30 €8.28

19.78%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.92 €1.71

109.90%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.93 €1.72

43.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.45 €1.29

-62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.82 €2.51

103.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.42 €3.04

59.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.10 €0.98

65.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.47 €1.30

-6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.57 €1.40

78.34%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.39 €3.02

42.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$11.90 €10.58

26.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$7.31 €6.50

45.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.47 €12.87

27.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.25 €2.00

-2.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.34 €1.19

41.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.77 €1.57

-22.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.57 €2.29

-18.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.82 €1.62

-40.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.91 €1.70

-41.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.50 €1.34

-25.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.79 €0.70

11.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.98 €5.32

-8.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.48 €3.98

126.12%

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

$2.10 €1.87

7.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.28 €2.03

-40.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$41.98 €37.35

-28.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.80 €3.38

17.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.15 €1.03

-11.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$18.40 €16.36

-8.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.07 €1.84

8.70%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$33.9K €30.2K

-17.35%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$34.0K €30.3K

-16.99%

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

$205 €182

$120 €106

70.94%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$19.84 €17.65

34.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$36.39 €32.36

-16.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$40.12 €35.69

35.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$14.69 €13.07

76.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.33 €7.41

25.09%

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

$569 €506

$419 €372

35.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$11.3K €10.0K

11.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$78.9 €70.2

12.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$36.89 €32.81

9.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$84.4 €75.1

24.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$105 €93.0

16.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$944 €840

-21.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$761 €676

-13.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,546 €1,375

-15.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,194 €1,062

-3.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,242 €2,884

23.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,241 €1,993

54.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$948 €843

31.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.67

22.07%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Silves: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Silves

$761 46.7% 16.2% $106

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Silves

$244 15% 21.3% $66

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Silves

$194 11.9% 27.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Silves

$176 10.8% 32.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Silves

$137 8.4% 14.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Silves

$57 3.5% 24.6% $19

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Silves

$61 3.7% 35.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $944 in Silves. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 31% 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 $47.00 in Silves for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $244 per month, with Silves cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇹 Silves

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

37,776

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Silves 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Silves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Silves wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Silves the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 31% 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 $944 in Silves. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Silves – a meal for two runs $47.00 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 $1,629 in Silves – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,629 in Silves versus $1,775 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Silves but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Silves the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Silves delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,629 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Silves hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Silves 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 Silves gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.