Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaves and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,064 in Chaves versus $1,771 in Athens.

Chaves $1,064
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,607 in Chaves versus $2,736 in Athens.

Chaves $1,607
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,150 in Chaves versus $3,701 in Athens.

Chaves $2,150
Athens $3,701

Living in Chaves costs roughly 40% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chaves is 21% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.10

$16.83 €14.97

-52.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.32 €19.86

$68.2 €60.7

-67.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 €6.92

$11.43 €10.17

-31.93%

Cappuccino

$1.54 €1.37

$4.06 €3.61

-62.07%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$2.74 €2.44

-45.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.53 €0.47

7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 €2.03

$5.69 €5.06

-59.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$5.68 €5.06

-51.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.85 €1.64

-44.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.44 €1.28

-20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.82 €2.51

-59.93%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$4.86 €4.32

-37.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 €5.54

$15.27 €13.58

-59.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 €5.81

$10.36 €9.21

-36.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$19.10 €16.99

-46.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.22 €1.98

-48.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.92 €1.71

-40.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.41 €1.25

-21.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.97

$2.04 €1.82

-46.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.05 €0.93

92.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.17 €1.04

-3.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.08 €0.96

30.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$0.84 €0.75

-5.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$5.49 €4.89

8.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$10.17 €9.05

-60.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.13 €1.90

-46.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.28 €2.03

-49.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.37 €1.22

-36.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.67 €24.61

$29.71 €26.43

-6.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$4.39 €3.90

-9.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.00 €0.89

-32.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 €17.60

$16.63 €14.79

18.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.38 €2.11

-18.07%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$28.4K €25.3K

20.16%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$27.2K €24.2K

38.15%

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

$134 €119

$203 €181

-34.31%

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

$17.81 €15.84

$26.79 €23.83

-33.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.19

$30.16 €26.82

5.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.25 €22.46

$53.7 €47.74

-52.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.49 €4.88

$26.40 €23.48

-79.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 €6.35

$10.59 €9.42

-32.58%

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

$223 €199

$566 €504

-60.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,620 €3,220

$12.9K €11.4K

-71.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €63.9

$89.1 €79.3

-19.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.56 €20.07

$40.48 €36.01

-44.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.1

$104 €92.3

-39.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 €80.3

$124 €111

-27.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €425

$729 €648

-34.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 €336

$647 €576

-41.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €846

$1,328 €1,181

-28.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$1,169 €1,040

-37.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 €1,663

$4,024 €3,579

-53.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 €1,310

$3,483 €3,098

-57.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,015 €903

$1,240 €1,103

-18.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-33.04%

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

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaves

$378 35.5%

Athens

$647 36.5% 71.3% $270

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaves

$183 17.2%

Athens

$260 14.7% 42.2% $77

Groceries & Markets

Chaves

$182 17.2%

Athens

$312 17.6% 71.2% $130

Eating Out

Chaves

$131 12.3%

Athens

$271 15.3% 107% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Chaves

$111 10.5%

Athens

$161 9.1% 44.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chaves

$40 3.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 89.4% $35

Getting Around

Chaves

$39 3.6%

Athens

$45 2.5% 15.8% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Chaves and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 22% 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: $22.00 in Chaves vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $312 per month, with Chaves cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Chaves

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

13:11 1:11 PM

2 h ahead of Chaves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,592

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

Chaves Athens 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chaves
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

Chaves vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaves wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chaves the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Athens. 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: $478 in Chaves versus $729 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chaves – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,064 per month in Chaves versus $1,771 in Athens – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,064 in Chaves versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chaves but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Chaves the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chaves delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,064 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chaves hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chaves 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 Chaves gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.