Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,311 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,311

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,311 in Madrid versus $1,806 in Athens.

Madrid $2,311
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,324 in Madrid versus $2,731 in Athens.

Madrid $3,324
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,337 in Madrid versus $3,656 in Athens.

Madrid $4,337
Athens $3,656

Living in Madrid is roughly 28% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 72% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.11 €16.14

$16.66 €14.85

8.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.4

$66.2 €59.0

2.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 €9.95

$11.06 €9.86

0.90%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$4.14 €3.69

-25.12%

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

$3.25 €2.90

$2.80 €2.50

16.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.57 €0.51

294.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.45

$5.64 €5.03

-31.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.44

$5.46 €4.86

-8.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.96 €1.74

-27.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.41 €1.25

13.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.83 €2.53

-40.64%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.78

$5.04 €4.49

-15.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$15.35 €13.68

11.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.10

$10.34 €9.22

-12.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.61 €15.70

$18.97 €16.92

-7.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.17 €1.93

16.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.91 €1.70

14.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.38 €1.23

87.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.20 €1.96

15.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.10 €0.98

100.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.13 €1.00

92.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.10 €0.98

42.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.83 €0.74

26.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.93

$5.60 €4.99

18.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$10.19 €9.08

-23.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.18 €1.95

-46.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.45 €2.18

-7.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.38 €1.23

23.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.14 €33.11

$30.87 €27.52

20.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.37 €3.90

-14.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.04 €0.93

43.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.16 €26.89

$17.11 €15.26

76.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.31 €2.06

-20.35%

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

$34.8K €31.1K

$28.0K €24.9K

24.49%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$28.0K €25.0K

19.06%

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

$185 €165

$210 €187

-11.61%

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

$18.51 €16.50

$26.70 €23.80

-30.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 €31.01

$30.13 €26.86

15.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 €44.57

$54.6 €48.68

-8.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 €16.14

$26.03 €23.21

-30.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.24 €10.03

$10.78 €9.61

4.27%

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

$666 €594

$575 €513

15.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K €16.1K

$13.1K €11.7K

37.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.3

$93.2 €83.1

-8.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €38.88

$40.68 €36.27

7.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €96.8

$104 €92.8

4.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.6

$128 €114

-12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 €1,359

$756 €674

101.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,063

$652 €582

82.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 €2,414

$1,294 €1,153

109.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 €1,604

$1,163 €1,037

54.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,164 €8,171

$4,008 €3,574

128.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,169 €3,717

$3,452 €3,078

20.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,478 €2,209

$1,243 €1,109

99.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

4.48

-31.25%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 6, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.1%

Athens

$652 36.5% 45.3% $540

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.4%

Athens

$315 17.6% 2.2% $6.9

Eating Out

Madrid

$267 11.7%

Athens

$269 15% 0.7% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$239 10.4%

Athens

$267 14.9% 11.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.9%

Athens

$165 9.2% 4.8% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

Athens

$76 4.3% 5.1% $3.7

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Athens

$46 2.6% 16.7% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,524 in Madrid and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 99% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Madrid vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $315, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

1 h ahead of Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Madrid Athens 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
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

Madrid vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Madrid, 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: $1,524 in Madrid versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,311 per month in Madrid versus $1,806 in Athens – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,311 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Madrid. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid 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 28% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.