Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Canary Islands and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in the Canary Islands: $1,650 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Canary Islands 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 the Canary Islands and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,650 in the Canary Islands versus $1,775 in Athens.

Canary Islands $1,650
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,373 in the Canary Islands versus $2,721 in Athens.

Canary Islands $2,373
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,095 in the Canary Islands versus $3,666 in Athens.

Canary Islands $3,095
Athens $3,666

Living in the Canary Islands costs roughly 7% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Canary Islands 22% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 €18.07

$16.69 €14.84

21.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 €54.3

$67.8 €60.3

-9.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 €8.38

$11.14 €9.91

-15.44%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$4.03 €3.58

-49.13%

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

$1.86 €1.65

$2.77 €2.46

-32.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.55 €0.49

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 €2.53

$5.74 €5.10

-50.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.45 €4.85

-37.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.82 €1.62

-25.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.38 €1.23

73.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 €1.40

$2.80 €2.49

-43.57%

Eggs

$2.18 €1.94

$4.83 €4.30

-54.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.31 €17.18

$15.05 €13.39

28.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 €8.83

$10.63 €9.45

-6.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$18.43 €16.39

-6.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.20 €1.96

24.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.90 €1.69

18.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.37 €1.22

57.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.10 €1.87

19.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.08 €0.96

98.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.12 €1.00

80.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.12 €1.00

51.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.88 €0.79

5.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 €4.14

$5.48 €4.88

-14.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.86 €6.99

$10.13 €9.01

-22.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.13 €1.89

-20.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.25 €2.00

-22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 €0.76

$1.36 €1.21

-36.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 €3.78

$4.45 €3.96

-4.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.02 €0.90

65.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 €14.75

$16.92 €15.05

-1.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.25 €2.00

-24.44%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

$28.0K €24.9K

-11.10%

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

$29.0K €25.8K

$28.2K €25.1K

2.61%

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

$126 €112

$205 €182

-38.38%

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

$20.91 €18.60

$26.65 €23.71

-21.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.49 €31.57

$30.38 €27.02

16.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.49 €42.25

$54.5 €48.47

-12.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.07 €21.41

$25.88 €23.02

-6.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 €8.76

$10.42 €9.27

-5.47%

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

$400 €355

$569 €506

-29.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,096 €4,533

$12.6K €11.2K

-59.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.3 €60.7

$88.7 €78.9

-23.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.65 €34.38

$40.46 €35.99

-4.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 €79.7

$105 €93.3

-14.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €101

$121 €108

-6.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 €988

$741 €659

49.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 €605

$655 €582

3.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €734

$1,148 €1,021

-28.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,369 €1,218

$1,242 €1,105

10.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

4.48

-25.67%

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

Last update for the Canary Islands: 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

Canary Islands

$680 41.2%

Athens

$655 36.9% 3.8% $26

Groceries & Markets

Canary Islands

$316 19.2%

Athens

$310 17.5% 1.9% $5.9

Eating Out

Canary Islands

$248 15.1%

Athens

$268 15.1% 8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canary Islands

$182 11.1%

Athens

$262 14.7% 43.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Canary Islands

$140 8.5%

Athens

$160 9% 14.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Canary Islands

$67 4.1%

Athens

$75 4.2% 12.1% $8.1

Getting Around

Canary Islands

$16 * 1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 178% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,111 in the Canary Islands and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canary Islands pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in the Canary Islands vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $310, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

21:29 9:29 PM

2 h ahead of the Canary Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,050

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Canary Islands Athens 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Canary Islands
Athens

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

Canary Islands vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 10% higher in the Canary Islands, 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: $1,111 in the Canary Islands versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $400 in the Canary Islands versus $569 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in the Canary Islands – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,650 in the Canary Islands versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in the Canary Islands but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Canary Islands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Canary Islands delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,650 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Canary Islands hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Canary Islands 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 Canary Islands 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.