Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zaragoza

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Zaragoza: $1,775 and $1,694 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
Learn more

Zaragoza Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zaragoza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,694 in Zaragoza.

Athens $1,775
Zaragoza $1,694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,478 in Zaragoza.

Athens $2,721
Zaragoza $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,263 in Zaragoza.

Athens $3,666
Zaragoza $3,263

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$16.54 €14.72

0.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$56.9 €50.6

19.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$11.27 €10.03

-1.15%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.12 €1.89

90.09%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.43 €2.16

13.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.54 €1.37

-64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.43 €3.05

67.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.30 €2.93

65.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.19 €1.06

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.95 €1.74

-29.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.49 €1.32

87.92%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.81 €2.50

71.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$16.17 €14.39

-6.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.98 €7.98

18.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$21.00 €18.68

-12.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.67 €2.37

-17.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.50 €2.23

-24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.60 €2.31

-47.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.08 €2.74

-31.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.00 €1.78

-46.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.24 €1.99

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.77 €1.57

-36.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.73 €0.65

20.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.12 €5.44

-10.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.38 €3.90

131.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.92 €0.82

131.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.45 €3.07

-34.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.69 €1.50

-19.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$31.91 €28.38

-6.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$2.32 €2.06

91.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.06 €0.94

-3.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$29.17 €25.95

-42.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.77 €1.58

27.12%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.6K €31.6K

-21.17%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$29.3K €26.1K

-3.73%

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

$205 €182

$161 €144

26.73%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$11.52 €10.25

131.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$21.33 €18.97

42.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$35.72 €31.78

52.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$14.36 €12.77

80.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$9.10 €8.09

14.51%

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

$569 €506

$493 €439

15.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$7,876 €7,006

59.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$89.5 €79.6

-0.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$38.48 €34.23

5.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$100 €89.0

4.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$113 €101

6.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$810 €721

-8.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$709 €630

-7.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,288 €1,145

0.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,009 €898

13.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,196 €2,843

25.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,944 €1,729

78.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$2,009 €1,787

-38.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.46

29.48%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zaragoza: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Zaragoza

$709 41.8% 8.3% $54

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Zaragoza

$306 18.1% 1.5% $4.8

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Zaragoza

$231 13.7% 13.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Zaragoza

$194 11.5% 25.7% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Zaragoza

$154 9.1% 3.9% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Zaragoza

$54 3.2% 28.4% $21

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Zaragoza

$46 2.7% 3.1% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $810 in Zaragoza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zaragoza pays 62% 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 $57.0 in Zaragoza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $306 per month, with Zaragoza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇸 Zaragoza

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

22:14 10:14 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

682,513

💱 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 Zaragoza 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min 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 Zaragoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Zaragoza. 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 $810 in Zaragoza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zaragoza – a meal for two runs $57.0 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 $1,694 in Zaragoza – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,694 in Zaragoza versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Zaragoza but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zaragoza the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zaragoza delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,694 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zaragoza hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza 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.