Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zadar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zadar: $1,687 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zadar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,687 in Zadar.

Athens $1,775
Zadar $1,687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,572 in Zadar.

Athens $2,721
Zadar $2,572

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,457 in Zadar.

Athens $3,666
Zadar $3,457

Living in Athens is roughly 5% more expensive than in Zadar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Zadar 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$14.55 €12.94

14.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$78.3 €69.7

-13.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.67 €6.83

45.24%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.40 €2.13

67.92%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.96 €2.63

-6.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.19 €1.95

-74.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.29 €2.92

74.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$4.54 €4.04

20.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.17 €1.04

55.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.63 €1.45

-15.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.14 €2.79

-10.83%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.77 €3.35

28.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.80 €9.60

39.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$9.47 €8.43

12.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$12.03 €10.70

53.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.98 €1.76

11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.52 €1.35

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.16 €1.92

-36.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.60 €2.31

-19.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.21 €1.97

-51.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.32 €1.18

-15.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.32 €1.17

-15.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.25 €1.12

-29.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.59 €4.98

-1.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.83 €6.97

29.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.35 €1.20

57.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.41 €1.25

59.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.75 €1.56

-22.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$43.69 €38.86

-31.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.42 €3.04

30.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.22 €1.97

-54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$22.05 €19.61

-23.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.78 €1.58

26.40%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$26.3K €23.4K

6.76%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$25.1K €22.3K

12.50%

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

$205 €182

$182 €162

12.26%

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

$26.65 €23.70

$22.01 €19.57

21.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$40.17 €35.73

-24.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.46

$56.1 €49.91

-2.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$17.02 €15.14

52.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.58 €9.41

-1.51%

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

$569 €506

$240 €214

136.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$6,907 €6,143

82.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$88.4 €78.6

0.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$35.68 €31.73

13.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$104 €92.6

0.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$77.5 €68.9

56.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$904 €804

-18.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$681 €606

-3.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,460 €1,298

-10.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,135 €1,009

1.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$4,481 €3,985

-10.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$4,044 €3,596

-14.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,360 €1,210

-8.66%

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 Zadar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Zadar

$681 40.4% 4.1% $27

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Zadar

$267 15.8% 14% $43

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Zadar

$214 12.7% 20.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Zadar

$244 14.5% 6.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Zadar

$138 8.2% 14% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Zadar

$77 4.6% 2.6% $1.9

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Zadar

$65 3.9% 45.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $904 in Zadar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zadar pays 9% 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 $78.0 in Zadar. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $267, with Zadar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇭🇷 Zadar

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

67,309

💱 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 Zadar 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Zadar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zadar wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zadar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Zadar. 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 $904 in Zadar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zadar – a meal for two runs $78.0 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 $1,687 in Zadar – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,687 in Zadar versus $1,775 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Zadar but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zadar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zadar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,687 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zadar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Zadar 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 Zadar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.