Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: $1,600 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,600

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $1,806 in Athens.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,600
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,345 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $2,731 in Athens.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,345
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,090 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $3,656 in Athens.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,090
Athens $3,656

Living in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands costs roughly 11% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 19% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 €13.70

$16.66 €14.92

-8.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 €51.5

$66.2 €59.3

-13.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 €9.32

$11.06 €9.91

-5.97%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.91

$4.14 €3.71

-48.55%

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

$2.41 €2.16

$2.80 €2.51

-13.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.54

$0.57 €0.51

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 €2.90

$5.64 €5.05

-42.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.03

$5.46 €4.89

-38.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.96 €1.75

-38.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.41 €1.26

-4.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.83 €2.54

-42.76%

Eggs

$2.80 €2.51

$5.04 €4.51

-44.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 €12.28

$15.35 €13.75

-10.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.26 €7.40

$10.34 €9.27

-20.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 €13.71

$18.97 €17.00

-19.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.17 €1.94

13.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.91 €1.71

3.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.38 €1.24

43.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$2.20 €1.97

16.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.10 €0.99

55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.13 €1.01

81.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.10 €0.99

19.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.83 €0.74

-8.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.61

$5.60 €5.01

11.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 €5.09

$10.19 €9.13

-44.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$2.18 €1.95

-42.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$2.45 €2.19

-16.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.38 €1.23

23.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.53 €30.93

$30.87 €27.65

11.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.58

$4.37 €3.92

-8.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.04 €0.93

19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.63 €22.06

$17.11 €15.33

43.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.31 €2.07

-22.08%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$28.0K €25.1K

37.12%

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

$30.4K €27.3K

$28.0K €25.1K

8.60%

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

$133 €119

$210 €188

-36.53%

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

$21.10 €18.90

$26.70 €23.92

-20.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 €27.69

$30.13 €26.99

2.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.28 €42.36

$54.6 €48.91

-13.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 €13.72

$26.03 €23.32

-41.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 €8.23

$10.78 €9.66

-14.75%

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

$409 €366

$575 €515

-28.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,292 €7,428

$13.1K €11.8K

-36.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €76.2

$93.2 €83.5

-8.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.30 €31.62

$40.68 €36.44

-13.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.8

$104 €93.2

-14.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.6

$128 €115

-15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 €755

$756 €677

11.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €618

$652 €584

5.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 €1,168

$1,294 €1,159

0.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 €891

$1,163 €1,042

-14.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,345 €2,996

$4,008 €3,591

-16.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,308 €2,068

$3,452 €3,092

-33.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,114

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

4.48

-21.88%

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

Last update for Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: October 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$689 42.7%

Athens

$652 36.5% 5.4% $37

Groceries & Markets

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$262 16.2%

Athens

$315 17.6% 20.3% $53

Eating Out

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$218 13.5%

Athens

$269 15% 23% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$185 11.5%

Athens

$267 14.9% 44% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$143 8.8%

Athens

$165 9.2% 15.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$66 4.1%

Athens

$76 4.3% 16% $11

Getting Around

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$52 3.2%

Athens

$46 2.6% 10.9% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $315 per month, with Gran Canaria, Canary Islands cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

10:51 10:51 AM

2 h ahead of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

862,893

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Athens 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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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

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gran Canaria, Canary Islands the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,401 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $2,709 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: $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,600 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $1,806 in Athens – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,600 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Gran Canaria, Canary Islands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gran Canaria, Canary Islands delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,600 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gran Canaria, Canary Islands hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.