Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benalmadena and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Benalmadena and in Athens: $1,832 and $1,775 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Benalmadena
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Benalmadena Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Benalmadena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,832

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benalmadena and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Benalmadena and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,832 in Benalmadena versus $1,775 in Athens.

Benalmadena $1,832
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,761 in Benalmadena versus $2,721 in Athens.

Benalmadena $2,761
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,690 in Benalmadena versus $3,666 in Athens.

Benalmadena $3,690
Athens $3,666

Living in Benalmadena is roughly 3% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Benalmadena 36% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.75 €13.12

$16.69 €14.84

-11.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.5

$67.8 €60.3

0.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 €8.33

$11.14 €9.91

-15.98%

Cappuccino

$2.18 €1.94

$4.03 €3.58

-45.91%

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

$2.10 €1.87

$2.77 €2.46

-24.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.55 €0.49

278.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.92

$5.74 €5.10

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$5.45 €4.85

-18.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.82 €1.62

-35.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.38 €1.23

17.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.80 €2.49

-35.71%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.10

$4.83 €4.30

-27.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.49 €13.78

$15.05 €13.39

2.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.27 €7.36

$10.63 €9.45

-22.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.01 €14.24

$18.43 €16.39

-13.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.20 €1.96

13.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.90 €1.69

2.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.37 €1.22

29.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.10 €1.87

22.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.08 €0.96

71.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.12 €1.00

87.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.12 €1.00

33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.88 €0.79

-13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 €5.94

$5.48 €4.88

21.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.91

$10.13 €9.01

-34.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.13 €1.89

-44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.25 €2.00

-15.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.36 €1.21

39.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.58 €28.09

$29.89 €26.59

5.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 €1.64

$4.45 €3.96

-58.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.02 €0.90

19.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.97 €19.54

$16.92 €15.05

29.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.25 €2.00

-20.44%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$28.0K €24.9K

23.49%

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

$29.5K €26.2K

$28.2K €25.1K

4.52%

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

$140 €124

$205 €182

-31.76%

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

$12.81 €11.39

$26.65 €23.71

-51.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.18 €28.63

$30.38 €27.02

5.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.00 €42.69

$54.5 €48.47

-11.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 €14.32

$25.88 €23.02

-37.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 €7.04

$10.42 €9.27

-24.09%

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

$557 €496

$569 €506

-2.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,462 €8,417

$12.6K €11.2K

-24.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 €79.0

$88.7 €78.9

0.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 €34.69

$40.46 €35.99

-3.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 €85.0

$105 €93.3

-8.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €98.8

$121 €108

-8.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$972 €864

$741 €659

31.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$655 €582

36.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 €1,506

$1,300 €1,156

30.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 €1,322

$1,148 €1,021

29.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 €3,699

$4,014 €3,570

3.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,495 €3,109

$3,460 €3,078

1.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,931 €3,497

$1,242 €1,105

216.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

4.48

-26.56%

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

Last update for Benalmadena: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benalmadena

$895 48.9%

Athens

$655 36.9% 26.9% $240

Groceries & Markets

Benalmadena

$277 15.1%

Athens

$310 17.5% 12.1% $34

Eating Out

Benalmadena

$214 11.7%

Athens

$268 15.1% 25.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benalmadena

$185 10.1%

Athens

$262 14.7% 41.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Benalmadena

$150 8.2%

Athens

$160 9% 6.3% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Benalmadena

$64 3.5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 18% $12

Getting Around

Benalmadena

$47 2.6%

Athens

$45 2.5% 4.8% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $972 in Benalmadena and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benalmadena pays 216% 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 Benalmadena vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $310 per month, with Benalmadena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Benalmadena

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

05:37 5:37 AM

1 h ahead of Benalmadena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,801

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Benalmadena Athens 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Benalmadena
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

Benalmadena vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Benalmadena. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 216% higher in Benalmadena, 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: $972 in Benalmadena versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,832 per month in Benalmadena versus $1,775 in Athens – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,832 in Benalmadena, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Benalmadena. 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 $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Benalmadena and Athens 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 3% less than in Benalmadena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.