Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Taif

For one person, living is cheaper in Taif: $1,271 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Taif

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,271 in Taif.

Athens $1,779
Taif $1,271

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,863 in Taif.

Athens $2,721
Taif $1,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,456 in Taif.

Athens $3,663
Taif $2,456

Living in Athens is roughly 40% more expensive than in Taif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Taif is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$5.39 SAR 20.22

212.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$37.10 SAR 139

77.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$7.55 SAR 28.34

48.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.20 SAR 8.27

85.45%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.63 SAR 2.37

339.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.22 SAR 0.81

145.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.81 SAR 6.80

1.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.28 SAR 1.05

410.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.33 SAR 8.74

14.59%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.68 SAR 10.05

84.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$5.82 SAR 21.83

159.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$6.93 SAR 26.01

58.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$9.46 SAR 35.52

108.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.45 SAR 9.19

-13.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.75 SAR 6.56

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.82 SAR 6.82

-26.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.87 SAR 7.02

15.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.34 SAR 5.04

-20.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.44 SAR 5.41

-20.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.91 SAR 3.42

18.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.78 SAR 2.92

8.97%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.32

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 SAR 5.38

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 SAR 7.75

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.98 SAR 26.20

-21.78%

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

$1.07 SAR 4.03

26.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$37.71 SAR 142

-19.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.36 SAR 5.11

180.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.96 SAR 7.34

-47.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$9.54 SAR 35.80

72.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.64 SAR 2.40

265.62%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$26.8K SAR 100.6K

3.63%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$21.4K SAR 80.5K

24.05%

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

$202 €180

$141 SAR 530

43.24%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$27.63 SAR 104

-2.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$68.4 SAR 257

-55.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$143 SAR 538

-62.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$13.26 SAR 49.75

106.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$19.64 SAR 73.7

-46.84%

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

$568 €505

$187 SAR 701

204.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$3,348 SAR 12.6K

353.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$41.65 SAR 156

117.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$50.6 SAR 190

-22.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$94.2 SAR 354

11.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$86.6 SAR 325

48.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$569 SAR 2,136

30.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$399 SAR 1,496

62.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$897 SAR 3,365

41.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$610 SAR 2,288

83.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,992 SAR 7,477

100.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,188 SAR 4,459

176.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,573 SAR 5,905

-20.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.54

-19.86%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Taif: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Taif

$399 31.4% 38.5% $250

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Taif

$181 14.2% 42.9% $136

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Taif

$96 7.5% 64.8% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Taif

$237 18.7% 8.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Taif

$123 9.7% 25% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Taif

$183 14.4% 144% $108

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Taif

$53 4.2% 18.4% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $569 in Taif. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taif pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $37 in Taif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $181 per month, with Taif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇦 Taif

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

579,970

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Taif 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Taif

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 Taif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taif wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taif the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Athens. 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: $742 in Athens versus $569 in Taif. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Taif – a meal for two runs $37 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 $1,271 in Taif – Taif is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Taif is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Taif are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.