Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and St. Julians

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $2,257 in St. Julians, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in St. Julians
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St. Julians Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

St. Julians

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in St. Julians

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $2,257 in St. Julians.

Athens $1,771
St. Julians $2,257

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $3,588 in St. Julians.

Athens $2,736
St. Julians $3,588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $4,919 in St. Julians.

Athens $3,701
St. Julians $4,919

Living in Athens costs roughly 22% less than in St. Julians, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, St. Julians 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$20.12 €17.90

-16.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$99.0 €88.1

-31.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$11.09 €9.87

3.07%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$3.27 €2.91

24.16%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$3.06 €2.72

-10.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.90 €1.69

-72.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$4.57 €4.06

24.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$4.56 €4.06

24.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.24 €1.10

49.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.75 €1.56

-17.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.38 €3.00

-16.57%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$4.54 €4.04

7.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$18.83 €16.75

-18.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$10.64 €9.46

-2.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$17.95 €15.97

6.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$3.03 €2.70

-26.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.05 €1.83

-6.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.88 €2.56

-51.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$3.99 €3.55

-48.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.43 €2.16

-56.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.39 €2.12

-51.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.91 €1.70

-43.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.89 €0.79

-5.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$6.77 €6.02

-18.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$7.21 €6.42

41.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.62 €1.44

31.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.35 €2.09

-2.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.55 €2.27

-46.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$4.59 €4.09

-4.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.65 €1.47

-39.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$39.13 €34.80

-57.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.54 €1.37

54.55%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$27.5K €24.5K

3.24%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$39.5K €35.2K

-31.15%

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

$203 €181

$76.7 €68.2

165.39%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$35.28 €31.38

-24.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$35.16 €31.27

-14.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$94.5 €84.1

-43.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$39.97 €35.56

-33.95%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$11.39 €10.13

-7.02%

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

$566 €504

$618 €550

-8.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$13.9K €12.4K

-7.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$146 €130

-38.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$55.1 €49.02

-26.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$121 €108

-14.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$164 €146

-24.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$1,391 €1,237

-47.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$1,124 €999

-42.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$2,555 €2,273

-48.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$2,042 €1,816

-42.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$5,727 €5,094

-29.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$3,143 €2,796

10.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$2,426 €2,158

-48.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.22

39.13%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for St. Julians: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

St. Julians

$1.1K 49.8% 73.6% $476

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

St. Julians

$342 15.1% 9.3% $29

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

St. Julians

$285 12.6% 5.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

St. Julians

$147 6.5% 43.5% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

St. Julians

$219 9.7% 35.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

St. Julians

$117 5.2% 56.7% $42

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

St. Julians

$23 * 1% 48.2% $22

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 $729 in Athens and $1,391 in St. Julians. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Julians pays 96% 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 $99.0 in St. Julians for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $342 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇹 St. Julians

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

00:33 12:33 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

13,792

💱 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 St. Julians 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
St. Julians

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 St. Julians: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in St. Julians. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in St. Julians. 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: $729 in Athens versus $1,391 in St. Julians. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $566 in Athens versus $618 in St. Julians. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $99.0 in St. Julians. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $2,257 in St. Julians, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in St. Julians. 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 $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and St. Julians 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 27% less than in St. Julians. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.