Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Madeira: $1,597 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.

78

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
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Madeira Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,597

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,597 in Madeira versus $1,806 in Athens.

Madeira $1,597
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,383 in Madeira versus $2,731 in Athens.

Madeira $2,383
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,169 in Madeira versus $3,656 in Athens.

Madeira $3,169
Athens $3,656

Living in Madeira costs roughly 12% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madeira 19% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 €10.37

$16.66 €14.87

-30.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.16 €41.19

$66.2 €59.1

-30.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 €8.14

$11.06 €9.87

-17.54%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.88

$4.14 €3.69

-49.28%

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

$1.85 €1.65

$2.80 €2.50

-33.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.57 €0.51

150.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 €2.03

$5.64 €5.03

-59.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.16

$5.46 €4.87

-35.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.96 €1.75

-44.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.41 €1.26

8.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.83 €2.53

-43.46%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$5.04 €4.50

-40.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 €10.29

$15.35 €13.70

-24.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 €6.86

$10.34 €9.23

-25.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 €12.49

$18.97 €16.93

-26.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.17 €1.93

8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.91 €1.70

-26.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.38 €1.23

30.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.20 €1.96

13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.10 €0.98

37.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.13 €1.00

69.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.10 €0.99

40.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.83 €0.74

1.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 €5.39

$5.60 €4.99

7.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 €4.66

$10.19 €9.09

-48.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.18 €1.95

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.45 €2.19

-5.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.38 €1.23

71.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.32 €37.77

$30.87 €27.55

37.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.82

$4.37 €3.90

-2.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 €0.71

$1.04 €0.93

-24.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.53 €15.65

$17.11 €15.27

2.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.31 €2.07

-17.75%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$28.0K €25.0K

26.39%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$28.0K €25.0K

39.50%

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

$134 €120

$210 €187

-36.11%

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

$20.90 €18.65

$26.70 €23.83

-21.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.95 €37.44

$30.13 €26.89

39.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.41 €38.74

$54.6 €48.72

-20.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.37 €15.50

$26.03 €23.23

-33.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 €7.45

$10.78 €9.62

-22.54%

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

$473 €422

$575 €513

-17.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,183 €7,303

$13.1K €11.7K

-37.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 €66.7

$93.2 €83.1

-19.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 €34.01

$40.68 €36.30

-6.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 €82.0

$104 €92.9

-11.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.8 €82.8

$128 €115

-27.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €816

$756 €674

20.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 €640

$652 €582

9.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 €1,291

$1,294 €1,154

11.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,021

$1,163 €1,038

-1.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,012 €2,688

$4,008 €3,577

-24.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 €2,103

$3,452 €3,081

-31.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

4.48

11.83%

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

Last update for Madeira: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madeira

$717 45.1%

Athens

$652 36.5% 9.1% $65

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.5%

Athens

$315 17.6% 28% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$197 12.4%

Athens

$267 14.9% 35.4% $70

Eating Out

Madeira

$177 11.1%

Athens

$269 15% 51.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$134 8.4%

Athens

$165 9.2% 23.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Athens

$76 4.3% 26.7% $16

Getting Around

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Athens

$46 2.6% 23.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $914 in Madeira and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Madeira vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $315 per month, with Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

2 h ahead of Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Madeira Athens 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
Athens

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Madeira vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $2,395 in Madeira 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: $914 in Madeira versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Madeira – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,597 per month in Madeira versus $1,806 in Athens – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,597 in Madeira versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Madeira but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Madeira the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Madeira delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,597 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Madeira hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madeira 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 Madeira 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.