Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Medano and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in El Medano: $1,447 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
Learn more

El Medano Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,447

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,447 in El Medano versus $1,775 in Athens.

El Medano $1,447
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,394 in El Medano versus $2,721 in Athens.

El Medano $2,394
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,342 in El Medano versus $3,666 in Athens.

El Medano $3,342
Athens $3,666

Living in El Medano costs roughly 18% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Medano 7% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 €18.12

$16.69 €14.84

22.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €54.9

$67.8 €60.3

-9.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 €10.13

$11.14 €9.91

2.15%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$4.03 €3.58

-50.62%

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

$1.90 €1.69

$2.77 €2.46

-31.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.55 €0.49

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 €2.45

$5.74 €5.10

-51.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.91

$5.45 €4.85

-39.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.82 €1.62

-27.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.38 €1.23

74.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.41

$2.80 €2.49

-43.21%

Eggs

$4.18 €3.72

$4.83 €4.30

-13.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 €12.96

$15.05 €13.39

-3.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 €8.23

$10.63 €9.45

-12.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €15.99

$18.43 €16.39

-2.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.20 €1.96

12.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.90 €1.69

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.37 €1.22

64.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.10 €1.87

20.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.08 €0.96

94.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.12 €1.00

72.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.12 €1.00

46.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.88 €0.79

11.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.91

$5.48 €4.88

0.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 €6.88

$10.13 €9.01

-23.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.13 €1.89

-21.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.25 €2.00

-38.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.36 €1.21

22.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.49 €22.67

$29.89 €26.59

-14.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 €3.63

$4.45 €3.96

-8.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.02 €0.90

69.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.58 €14.75

$16.92 €15.05

-2.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.25 €2.00

-44.44%

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

$27.1K €24.1K

$28.0K €24.9K

-3.18%

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

$28.8K €25.7K

$28.2K €25.1K

2.19%

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

$98.8 €87.9

$205 €182

-51.72%

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

$22.46 €19.98

$26.65 €23.71

-15.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.17 €31.28

$30.38 €27.02

15.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.58 €39.66

$54.5 €48.47

-18.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.75 €14.01

$25.88 €23.02

-39.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.81

$10.42 €9.27

-4.99%

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

$407 €362

$569 €506

-28.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,118 €4,553

$12.6K €11.2K

-59.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 €82.0

$88.7 €78.9

3.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.86 €37.24

$40.46 €35.99

3.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 €80.3

$105 €93.3

-13.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$121 €108

-5.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$741 €659

20.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 €416

$655 €582

-28.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 €1,205

$1,300 €1,156

4.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 €913

$1,148 €1,021

-10.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,258 €2,898

$4,014 €3,570

-18.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,228 €1,982

$3,460 €3,078

-35.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

4.48

-20.54%

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

Last update for El Medano: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Medano

$468 32.3%

Athens

$655 36.9% 39.9% $187

Groceries & Markets

El Medano

$307 21.2%

Athens

$310 17.5% 1.1% $3.4

Eating Out

El Medano

$254 17.6%

Athens

$268 15.1% 5.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Medano

$156 10.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 67.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

El Medano

$152 10.5%

Athens

$160 9% 4.9% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

El Medano

$64 4.5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 17% $11

Getting Around

El Medano

$45 3.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $895 in El Medano and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in El Medano vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $310 per month, with El Medano cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Medano

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

2 h ahead of El Medano

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Medano Athens 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

El Medano
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

El Medano vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $2,171 in El Medano and $2,662 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $895 in El Medano versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in El Medano – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,447 per month in El Medano versus $1,775 in Athens – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,447 in El Medano versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Medano but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes El Medano the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but El Medano delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,447 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes El Medano hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, El Medano 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 El Medano gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.