Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sintra

For one person, living is cheaper in Sintra: $1,592 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
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Sintra Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sintra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,592 in Sintra.

Athens $1,775
Sintra $1,592

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,317 in Sintra.

Athens $2,721
Sintra $2,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,041 in Sintra.

Athens $3,666
Sintra $3,041

Living in Athens is roughly 11% more expensive than in Sintra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Sintra 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$13.05 €11.61

27.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$55.4 €49.24

22.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$8.84 €7.87

26.02%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.28 €1.14

214.84%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.54 €1.37

79.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.21 €1.07

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.25 €2.89

76.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.74 €2.44

98.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.06 €0.95

71.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.26 €1.12

9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.32 €1.17

112.12%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.60 €2.31

85.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$9.14 €8.13

64.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$6.91 €6.15

53.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$11.07 €9.85

66.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.83 €1.62

20.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.22 €1.09

55.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.34 €1.19

2.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.24 €2.00

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.25 €1.11

-13.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.63 €1.45

-31.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.59 €1.42

-29.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.63 €0.56

39.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.25 €5.56

-12.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$3.28 €2.92

208.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.28 €1.14

66.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.40 €1.24

60.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.19 €1.94

-37.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$41.73 €37.11

-28.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.66 €3.26

21.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.50 €0.44

104.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$16.24 €14.45

4.19%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

-17.95%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.2K €33.9K

-26.01%

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

$205 €182

$129 €115

58.83%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$21.92 €19.50

21.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$45.30 €40.30

-32.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$41.17 €36.62

32.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$15.52 €13.81

66.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.89 €7.91

17.21%

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

$569 €506

$604 €538

-5.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$6,207 €5,522

102.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$74.5 €66.3

19.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$45.04 €40.07

-10.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$108 €96.1

-2.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$49.27 €43.82

146.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$977 €869

-24.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$774 €688

-15.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,551 €1,379

-16.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,173 €1,043

-2.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,033 €2,698

32.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,236 €1,989

54.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,347 €1,198

-7.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.54

26.55%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sintra: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Sintra

$774 48.6% 18.2% $119

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Sintra

$204 12.8% 34.3% $107

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Sintra

$179 11.2% 33.2% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Sintra

$196 12.3% 25.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Sintra

$125 7.8% 22.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sintra

$59 3.7% 21.7% $16

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sintra

$57 3.6% 26.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $977 in Sintra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sintra pays 8% 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 $55.0 in Sintra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $204 per month, with Sintra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇹 Sintra

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

16:33 4:33 PM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

385,654

💱 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 Sintra 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Sintra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sintra wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sintra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Sintra. 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 $977 in Sintra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sintra – 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 $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,592 in Sintra – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,592 in Sintra versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sintra but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sintra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sintra delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,592 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sintra hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Sintra 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 Sintra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.