Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Catania and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Catania: $1,512 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Catania
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Catania Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Catania

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,512

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,512 in Catania versus $1,806 in Athens.

Catania $1,512
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,354 in Catania versus $2,731 in Athens.

Catania $2,354
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,197 in Catania versus $3,656 in Athens.

Catania $3,197
Athens $3,656

Living in Catania costs roughly 16% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Catania 13% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 €14.79

$16.66 €14.87

-0.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €50.0

$66.2 €59.1

-15.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.84

$11.06 €9.87

-0.36%

Cappuccino

$2.21 €1.97

$4.14 €3.69

-46.62%

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

$2.93 €2.62

$2.80 €2.50

4.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.57 €0.51

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 €6.17

$5.64 €5.03

22.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 €3.85

$5.46 €4.87

-20.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.96 €1.75

-37.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.41 €1.26

18.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.36

$2.83 €2.53

-6.71%

Eggs

$3.58 €3.20

$5.04 €4.50

-28.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 €9.98

$15.35 €13.70

-27.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.75 €10.49

$10.34 €9.23

13.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.53 €13.86

$18.97 €16.93

-18.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.17 €1.93

-6.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.91 €1.70

-8.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.38 €1.23

13.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 €2.68

$2.20 €1.96

36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.10 €0.98

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.13 €1.00

15.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.10 €0.99

12.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 €0.42

$0.83 €0.74

-43.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.85

$5.60 €4.99

16.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.03

$10.19 €9.09

-22.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.18 €1.95

-19.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.45 €2.19

-34.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.38 €1.23

15.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.34 €32.43

$30.87 €27.55

17.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.31 €2.07

-6.49%

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

$36.1K €32.2K

$28.0K €25.0K

29.07%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$28.0K €25.0K

28.56%

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

$312 €279

$210 €187

48.92%

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

$10.27 €9.16

$26.70 €23.83

-61.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.53 €31.71

$30.13 €26.89

17.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 €54.6

$54.6 €48.72

11.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.21 €12.68

$26.03 €23.23

-45.41%

Cinema Ticket

$9.56 €8.53

$10.78 €9.62

-11.32%

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

$444 €396

$575 €513

-22.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,653 €5,937

$13.1K €11.7K

-49.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.3

$93.2 €83.1

-8.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 €29.59

$40.68 €36.30

-18.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 €77.0

$104 €92.9

-17.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$128 €115

-1.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 €543

$756 €674

-19.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 €330

$652 €582

-43.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 €966

$1,294 €1,154

-16.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 €674

$1,163 €1,038

-35.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,302 €2,054

$4,008 €3,577

-42.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,503 €1,341

$3,452 €3,081

-56.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,772 €1,582

$1,243 €1,110

42.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

4.48

-20.76%

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

Last update for Catania: October 6, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Catania

$370 24.1%

Athens

$652 36.5% 76.2% $282

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Catania

$358 23.3%

Athens

$267 14.9% 25.6% $92

Groceries & Markets

Catania

$281 18.3%

Athens

$315 17.6% 12.1% $34

Eating Out

Catania

$255 16.6%

Athens

$269 15% 5.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Catania

$149 9.7%

Athens

$165 9.2% 10.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Catania

$80 5.2%

Athens

$76 4.3% 5.1% $4.1

Getting Around

Catania

$43 * 2.8%

Athens

$46 2.6% 7.5% $3.2

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 $609 in Catania and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Catania pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Catania vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $281 vs $315 per month, with Catania cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Catania

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

1 h ahead of Catania

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

298,037

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

Catania Athens 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Catania
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

Catania vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Catania wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Catania the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Catania, 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: $609 in Catania versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Catania – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,512 per month in Catania versus $1,806 in Athens – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,512 in Catania versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Catania but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Catania the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Catania delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,512 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Catania hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Catania 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 Catania gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.