Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhahran and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,372 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
Learn more

Dhahran Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,372

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,372 in Dhahran versus $1,779 in Athens.

Dhahran $1,372
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,754 in Dhahran versus $2,721 in Athens.

Dhahran $1,754
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,135 in Dhahran versus $3,663 in Athens.

Dhahran $2,135
Athens $3,663

Living in Dhahran costs roughly 23% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dhahran 2% above, Athens 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.45 SAR 20.46

$16.83 €15.06

-67.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.37 SAR 148

$66.0 €59.1

-40.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 SAR 23.26

$11.21 €10.03

-44.69%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 SAR 7.02

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

Cappuccino

$4.01 SAR 15.05

$4.08 €3.65

-1.72%

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

$0.69 SAR 2.61

$2.77 €2.48

-75.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 SAR 0.67

$0.54 €0.48

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.60

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

$1.84 €1.65

-15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 SAR 3.57

$1.43 €1.28

-33.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.42

$2.67 €2.39

-25.84%

Eggs

$3.72 SAR 13.95

$4.95 €4.43

-24.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 SAR 31.95

$15.09 €13.51

-43.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 SAR 42.19

$10.99 €9.83

2.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 SAR 50.8

$19.77 €17.69

-31.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 SAR 7.86

$2.12 €1.90

-1.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.20

$1.98 €1.77

-29.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.33 €1.19

31.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$2.16 €1.93

-18.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

$1.06 €0.95

46.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 SAR 3.48

$1.15 €1.03

-19.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 SAR 7.28

$1.08 €0.97

79.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$0.85 €0.76

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.92 SAR 18.47

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.44 SAR 20.42

$5.46 €4.88

-0.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 SAR 3.36

$1.35 €1.21

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 SAR 208

$30.52 €27.31

81.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 SAR 6.48

$3.81 €3.41

-54.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 SAR 12.73

$1.03 €0.92

229.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.15 SAR 53.1

$16.49 €14.75

-14.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$2.34 €2.10

-74.36%

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

$36.1K SAR 135.4K

$27.8K €24.8K

29.88%

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

$21.6K SAR 80.9K

$26.6K €23.8K

-18.99%

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

$59.8 SAR 224

$202 €181

-70.45%

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

$43.66 SAR 164

$26.81 €23.99

62.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 SAR 248

$30.49 €27.28

116.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$193 SAR 724

$54.1 €48.38

256.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$91.5 SAR 343

$27.40 €24.52

233.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.70 SAR 40.14

$10.44 €9.34

2.49%

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

$66.1 SAR 248

$568 €508

-88.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K SAR 54.0K

$15.2K €13.6K

-5.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 SAR 192

$90.7 €81.1

-43.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.90 SAR 161

$39.32 €35.19

9.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 SAR 282

$105 €94.1

-28.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 SAR 335

$129 €115

-30.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$363 SAR 1,362

$742 €664

-51.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 SAR 1,695

$648 €580

-30.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,138

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,004

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,578

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,936

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,835 SAR 10.6K

$1,245 €1,114

127.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

4.44

1.35%

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

Last update for Dhahran: November 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dhahran

$452 32.9%

Athens

$648 36.4% 43.6% $197

Groceries & Markets

Dhahran

$229 16.7%

Athens

$316 17.8% 38% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Dhahran

$214 15.6%

Athens

$75 4.2% 65% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhahran

$170 12.4%

Athens

$260 14.6% 53.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Dhahran

$116 8.5%

Athens

$164 9.2% 40.9% $48

Eating Out

Dhahran

$114 8.3%

Athens

$272 15.3% 139% $158

Getting Around

Dhahran

$78 5.7%

Athens

$45 2.5% 42.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $363 in Dhahran and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhahran pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39 in Dhahran vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $316 per month, with Dhahran cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

23:18 11:18 PM

1 h behind Dhahran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,521

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhahran Athens 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhahran
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

Dhahran vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhahran wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dhahran the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Dhahran is about 2.3 times higher, 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: $363 in Dhahran versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhahran – a meal for two runs $39 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,372 per month in Dhahran versus $1,779 in Athens – Dhahran is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Dhahran is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dhahran and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.