Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elche and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Elche: $1,511 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Elche
Learn more

Elche Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Elche

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,511

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,511 in Elche versus $1,771 in Athens.

Elche $1,511
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,225 in Elche versus $2,736 in Athens.

Elche $2,225
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,940 in Elche versus $3,701 in Athens.

Elche $2,940
Athens $3,701

Living in Elche costs roughly 15% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Elche 11% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.90

$16.83 €14.97

-0.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 €50.8

$68.2 €60.7

-16.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 €10.06

$11.43 €10.17

-1.05%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.22

$4.06 €3.61

-38.42%

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

$2.31 €2.06

$2.74 €2.44

-15.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.63

$0.53 €0.47

247.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.96

$5.69 €5.06

-41.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$5.68 €5.06

-39.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.85 €1.64

-37.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.44 €1.28

10.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.82 €2.51

-42.55%

Eggs

$2.97 €2.64

$4.86 €4.32

-38.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.46 €12.86

$15.27 €13.58

-5.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.20 €7.29

$10.36 €9.21

-20.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 €12.02

$19.10 €16.99

-29.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.22 €1.98

15.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.92 €1.71

4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.41 €1.25

35.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.04 €1.82

18.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.05 €0.93

65.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.17 €1.04

60.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.08 €0.96

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$0.84 €0.75

-22.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.37 €5.67

$5.49 €4.89

16.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$10.17 €9.05

-46.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.13 €1.90

-52.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$2.28 €2.03

-57.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.37 €1.22

9.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 €20.23

$29.71 €26.43

-23.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 €2.81

$4.39 €3.90

-28.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.00 €0.89

-19.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.50 €14.67

$16.63 €14.79

-0.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.38 €2.11

-23.95%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$28.4K €25.3K

12.42%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$27.2K €24.2K

14.03%

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

$143 €127

$203 €181

-29.77%

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

$17.45 €15.53

$26.79 €23.83

-34.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 €24.36

$30.16 €26.82

-9.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.24 €41.13

$53.7 €47.74

-13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.15 €9.92

$26.40 €23.48

-57.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 €6.31

$10.59 €9.42

-32.96%

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

$707 €629

$566 €504

24.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €8,972

$12.9K €11.4K

-21.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.8 €76.3

$89.1 €79.3

-3.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.10 €32.11

$40.48 €36.01

-10.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 €78.9

$104 €92.3

-14.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 €77.9

$124 €111

-29.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 €594

$729 €648

-8.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 €534

$647 €576

-7.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$962 €856

$1,328 €1,181

-27.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$855 €761

$1,169 €1,040

-26.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,093 €1,861

$4,024 €3,579

-47.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,537 €1,368

$3,483 €3,098

-55.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,619 €1,440

$1,240 €1,103

30.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

4.48

-26.34%

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

Last update for Elche: October 17, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elche

$600 39.7%

Athens

$647 36.5% 7.9% $47

Groceries & Markets

Elche

$254 16.8%

Athens

$312 17.6% 22.9% $58

Eating Out

Elche

$238 15.8%

Athens

$271 15.3% 13.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elche

$188 12.4%

Athens

$260 14.7% 38.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Elche

$134 8.9%

Athens

$161 9.1% 19.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Elche

$60 4%

Athens

$75 4.2% 23.9% $14

Getting Around

Elche

$36 2.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 24% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in Elche and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elche pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57.0 in Elche vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $312 per month, with Elche cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Elche

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

19:52 7:52 PM

1 h ahead of Elche

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

238,293

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

Elche Athens 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Elche
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

Elche vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elche wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Elche the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Elche, 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: $668 in Elche versus $729 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Elche – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,511 per month in Elche versus $1,771 in Athens – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,511 in Elche versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Elche but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Elche the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Elche delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,511 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Elche hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Elche 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 Elche gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.