Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Vilamoura

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilamoura: $1,637 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Athens despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Vilamoura
Learn more

Vilamoura Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Vilamoura

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Vilamoura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,637 in Vilamoura.

Athens $1,775
Vilamoura $1,637

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,416 in Vilamoura.

Athens $2,721
Vilamoura $2,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,195 in Vilamoura.

Athens $3,666
Vilamoura $3,195

Living in Athens is roughly 8% more expensive than in Vilamoura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$13.68 €12.17

22.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$55.7 €49.53

21.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.32 €10.07

-1.59%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.92 €1.71

109.90%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.33 €2.07

18.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.71 €1.52

-67.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.84 €2.53

102.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.48 €2.21

119.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.18 €1.05

54.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.46 €1.30

-5.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.47 €1.31

90.48%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.49 €3.10

38.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$12.73 €11.32

18.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.91 €5.25

79.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$11.26 €10.01

63.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.29 €2.03

-3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.33 €1.18

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.54 €1.37

-11.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.53 €2.25

-17.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.83 €1.63

-40.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.98 €1.76

-43.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.36 €1.21

-17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.83 €0.74

6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.46 €5.75

-15.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.57 €4.95

81.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.24 €1.10

71.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.46 €3.08

-34.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.26 €2.01

-39.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$41.50 €36.91

-27.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.79 €3.37

17.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.11 €0.99

-8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$16.89 €15.02

0.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.05 €1.82

9.76%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

-16.88%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.3K €34.0K

-26.23%

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

$205 €182

$135 €120

51.41%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$18.88 €16.80

41.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$33.59 €29.88

-9.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$33.28 €29.60

63.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$16.57 €14.74

56.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.40 €8.36

10.85%

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

$569 €506

$450 €400

26.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$11.1K €9,840

13.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$69.7 €62.0

27.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$43.85 €39.01

-7.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$101 €89.6

4.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$104 €92.2

17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$952 €847

-22.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$757 €674

-13.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,419 €2,152

-46.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,189 €1,057

-3.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,027 €2,692

32.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,280 €2,028

51.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,066 €948

16.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.57

25.49%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Vilamoura: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Vilamoura

$757 46.3% 15.7% $103

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Vilamoura

$235 14.4% 24.3% $75

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Vilamoura

$202 12.3% 24.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Vilamoura

$188 11.5% 28.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Vilamoura

$143 8.7% 10.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Vilamoura

$52 3.2% 30.9% $23

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Vilamoura

$60 3.7% 33.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $952 in Vilamoura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 17% 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 $56.0 in Vilamoura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $235 per month, with Vilamoura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇹 Vilamoura

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

02:56 2:56 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

2,819

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Vilamoura 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Vilamoura

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 Vilamoura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vilamoura wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Vilamoura the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $952 in Vilamoura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Vilamoura – a meal for two runs $56.0 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 $1,637 in Vilamoura – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,637 in Vilamoura versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Vilamoura but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Vilamoura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Vilamoura delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,637 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Vilamoura hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Vilamoura 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 Vilamoura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.