Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maia and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,182 in Maia versus $1,771 in Athens.

Maia $2,182
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,718 in Maia versus $2,736 in Athens.

Maia $2,718
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,254 in Maia versus $3,701 in Athens.

Maia $3,254
Athens $3,701

Living in Maia is roughly 23% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Maia 61% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.42 €10.16

$16.83 €14.97

-32.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 €44.49

$68.2 €60.7

-26.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 €7.90

$11.43 €10.17

-22.31%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$4.06 €3.61

-50.74%

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

$1.93 €1.71

$2.74 €2.44

-29.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.53 €0.47

173.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.98

$5.69 €5.06

-60.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.57

$5.68 €5.06

-29.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.85 €1.64

-40.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.44 €1.28

17.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.82 €2.51

-45.74%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$4.86 €4.32

-40.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$15.27 €13.58

-12.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 €7.05

$10.36 €9.21

-23.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 €13.10

$19.10 €16.99

-22.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.22 €1.98

0.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.92 €1.71

-9.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.41 €1.25

46.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.04 €1.82

14.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.05 €0.93

111.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.17 €1.04

87.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.82

$1.08 €0.96

-13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.84 €0.75

30.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.89

$5.49 €4.89

20.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$10.17 €9.05

-54.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.13 €1.90

-38.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.28 €2.03

7.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.37 €1.22

80.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 €39.80

$29.71 €26.43

50.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.04

$4.39 €3.90

3.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.00 €0.89

44.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.93 €15.06

$16.63 €14.79

1.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.38 €2.11

-11.76%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$28.4K €25.3K

13.58%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$27.2K €24.2K

41.36%

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

$106 €94.3

$203 €181

-47.87%

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

$20.07 €17.85

$26.79 €23.83

-25.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.05 €33.84

$30.16 €26.82

26.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 €39.93

$53.7 €47.74

-16.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 €30.25

$26.40 €23.48

28.83%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 €7.70

$10.59 €9.42

-18.32%

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

$439 €390

$566 €504

-22.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,437 €5,726

$12.9K €11.4K

-49.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$89.1 €79.3

24.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 €19.60

$40.48 €36.01

-45.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 €67.5

$104 €92.3

-26.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$124 €111

-14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €953

$729 €648

47.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 €1,168

$647 €576

102.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 €1,518

$1,328 €1,181

28.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,169 €1,040

6.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 €2,701

$4,024 €3,579

-24.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,673 €1,488

$3,483 €3,098

-51.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 €1,263

$1,240 €1,103

14.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

4.48

-17.41%

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

Last update for Maia: 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

Maia

$1.3K 60.2%

Athens

$647 36.5% 50.7% $666

Groceries & Markets

Maia

$259 11.9%

Athens

$312 17.6% 20.5% $53

Eating Out

Maia

$175 8%

Athens

$271 15.3% 54.9% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maia

$164 7.5%

Athens

$260 14.7% 58.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Maia

$142 6.5%

Athens

$161 9.1% 13.6% $19

Getting Around

Maia

$66 3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 32.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Maia

$62 2.9%

Athens

$75 4.2% 20.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,072 in Maia and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maia pays 15% 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: $50.0 in Maia vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $259 vs $312 per month, with Maia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Maia

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

22:32 10:32 PM

2 h ahead of Maia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,988

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

Maia Athens 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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Maia
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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

Maia vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Maia. 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 15% higher in Maia, 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: $1,072 in Maia versus $729 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 $68.0 versus $50.0 in Maia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,182 per month in Maia versus $1,771 in Athens – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $2,182 in Maia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Maia. 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 $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Maia 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 23% less than in Maia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.