Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,427 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,427 in Cartagena versus $1,775 in Athens.

Cartagena $1,427
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,095 in Cartagena versus $2,721 in Athens.

Cartagena $2,095
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,762 in Cartagena versus $3,666 in Athens.

Cartagena $2,762
Athens $3,666

Living in Cartagena costs roughly 20% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartagena 6% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.31

$16.69 €14.84

-17.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €48.90

$67.8 €60.3

-18.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 €6.76

$11.14 €9.91

-31.78%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.27

$4.03 €3.58

-36.48%

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

$2.45 €2.18

$2.77 €2.46

-11.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.55 €0.49

234.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$5.74 €5.10

-40.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.54

$5.45 €4.85

-26.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.82 €1.62

-33.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.38 €1.23

-14.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.26

$2.80 €2.49

-8.93%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.52

$4.83 €4.30

-18.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.48

$15.05 €13.39

-14.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.18

$10.63 €9.45

-34.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 €16.60

$18.43 €16.39

1.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.20 €1.96

8.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.90 €1.69

32.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.37 €1.22

17.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.10 €1.87

47.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.08 €0.96

15.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.12 €1.00

10.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.12 €1.00

40.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.88 €0.79

-21.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.48 €4.88

2.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 €5.55

$10.13 €9.01

-38.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.13 €1.89

-41.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.00

$2.25 €2.00

-49.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.36 €1.21

5.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.14 €9.91

$29.89 €26.59

-62.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.90

$4.45 €3.96

23.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.02 €0.90

120.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.49 €24.45

$16.92 €15.05

62.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.25 €2.00

-21.33%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$28.0K €24.9K

25.25%

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

$30.2K €26.8K

$28.2K €25.1K

6.83%

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

$210 €187

$205 €182

2.65%

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

$19.74 €17.56

$26.65 €23.71

-25.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.70 €25.53

$30.38 €27.02

-5.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 €36.59

$54.5 €48.47

-24.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.80 €11.39

$25.88 €23.02

-50.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 €6.85

$10.42 €9.27

-26.10%

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

$416 €370

$569 €506

-26.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 €2,425

$12.6K €11.2K

-78.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.17 €41.96

$88.7 €78.9

-46.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.38 €31.47

$40.46 €35.99

-12.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 €54.3

$105 €93.3

-41.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.7

$121 €108

-16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 €525

$741 €659

-20.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 €438

$655 €582

-24.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 €743

$1,300 €1,156

-35.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 €630

$1,148 €1,021

-38.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,770 €1,574

$4,014 €3,570

-55.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,433 €1,275

$3,460 €3,078

-58.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,720 €1,530

$1,242 €1,105

38.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.48

-9.38%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$492 34.5%

Athens

$655 36.9% 33% $162

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$270 18.9%

Athens

$310 17.5% 14.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$258 18.1%

Athens

$262 14.7% 1.2% $3.1

Eating Out

Cartagena

$206 14.5%

Athens

$268 15.1% 29.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$110 7.7%

Athens

$160 9% 45.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Athens

$75 4.2% 33.2% $19

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 33.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $591 in Cartagena and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Cartagena vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $310 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

02:11 2:11 AM

1 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

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

Cartagena Athens 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
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

Cartagena vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Cartagena, 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: $591 in Cartagena versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,427 per month in Cartagena versus $1,775 in Athens – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,427 in Cartagena versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cartagena but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Cartagena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cartagena delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,427 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cartagena hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cartagena 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 Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.