Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lija and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $1,972 in Lija, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,972

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,972 in Lija versus $1,775 in Athens.

Lija $1,972
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,209 in Lija versus $2,721 in Athens.

Lija $3,209
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,446 in Lija versus $3,666 in Athens.

Lija $4,446
Athens $3,666

Living in Lija is roughly 11% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lija 46% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €19.81

$16.69 €14.84

33.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.0

$67.8 €60.3

34.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 €11.69

$11.14 €9.91

17.95%

Cappuccino

$3.13 €2.79

$4.03 €3.58

-22.33%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$2.77 €2.46

-12.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.55 €0.49

258.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.74 €5.10

-5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.45 €4.85

23.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.82 €1.62

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.38 €1.23

2.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 €3.08

$2.80 €2.49

23.57%

Eggs

$4.22 €3.76

$4.83 €4.30

-12.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 €9.33

$15.05 €13.39

-30.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.84

$10.63 €9.45

14.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$18.43 €16.39

-1.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 €3.44

$2.20 €1.96

75.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.90 €1.69

44.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 €3.40

$1.37 €1.22

179.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$2.10 €1.87

75.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.08 €0.96

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.12 €1.00

205.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.12 €1.00

95.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.88 €0.79

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.66

$5.48 €4.88

16.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 €5.44

$10.13 €9.01

-39.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.13 €1.89

11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.25 €2.00

1.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.36 €1.21

74.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$4.45 €3.96

-11.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.02 €0.90

74.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.04 €28.50

$16.92 €15.05

89.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.25 €2.00

-32.44%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$28.0K €24.9K

-0.77%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$28.2K €25.1K

38.50%

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

$156 €138

$205 €182

-23.94%

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

$31.66 €28.16

$26.65 €23.71

18.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.94 €25.75

$30.38 €27.02

-4.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$54.5 €48.47

29.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 €10.11

$10.42 €9.27

9.02%

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

$279 €248

$569 €506

-50.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.9K

$12.6K €11.2K

-2.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 €51.4

$88.7 €78.9

-34.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.0 €60.5

$40.46 €35.99

68.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.8

$105 €93.3

5.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$121 €108

7.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$741 €659

49.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €728

$655 €582

25.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 €1,595

$1,300 €1,156

38.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 €1,506

$1,148 €1,021

47.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,111 €3,657

$4,014 €3,570

2.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,697 €2,399

$3,460 €3,078

-22.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

4.48

-9.60%

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

Last update for Lija: 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

Lija

$819 41.5%

Athens

$655 36.9% 20% $164

Groceries & Markets

Lija

$343 17.4%

Athens

$310 17.5% 9.5% $33

Eating Out

Lija

$313 15.9%

Athens

$268 15.1% 14.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lija

$216 11%

Athens

$262 14.7% 21% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Lija

$165 8.4%

Athens

$160 9% 3.2% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lija

$93 4.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 19.2% $18

Getting Around

Lija

$22 * 1.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 101% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,106 in Lija and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91.0 in Lija vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Lija

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

1 h ahead of Lija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lija Athens 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Lija vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Lija. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,958 in Lija 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: $1,106 in Lija versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $279 in Lija versus $569 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $91.0 in Lija. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,972 in Lija, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Lija. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lija 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Lija. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.