Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsa and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,870 in Marsa, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marsa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

138

Cost of Living Index in Marsa
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Marsa Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Marsa

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,870

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,870 in Marsa versus $1,775 in Athens.

Marsa $2,870
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,982 in Marsa versus $2,721 in Athens.

Marsa $3,982
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,094 in Marsa versus $3,666 in Athens.

Marsa $5,094
Athens $3,666

Living in Marsa is roughly 62% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Marsa 113% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 €17.61

$16.69 €14.84

18.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 €76.2

$67.8 €60.3

26.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.87

$11.14 €9.91

19.75%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.39

$4.03 €3.58

-33.25%

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

$2.17 €1.93

$2.77 €2.46

-21.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.55 €0.49

298.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.96

$5.74 €5.10

-22.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$5.45 €4.85

-53.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.82 €1.62

-26.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.38 €1.23

-1.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 €3.74

$2.80 €2.49

50.36%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.82

$4.83 €4.30

-10.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 €7.24

$15.05 €13.39

-45.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 €9.42

$10.63 €9.45

-0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.25 €16.23

$18.43 €16.39

-0.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 €3.80

$2.20 €1.96

94.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 €2.52

$1.90 €1.69

49.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$1.37 €1.22

164.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.03

$2.10 €1.87

62.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.08 €0.96

123.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.12 €1.00

80.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.12 €1.00

113.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.88 €0.79

46.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.91 €6.15

$5.48 €4.88

26.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 €7.08

$10.13 €9.01

-21.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.13 €1.89

-17.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.25 €2.00

8.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.89

$4.45 €3.96

23.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.02 €0.90

125.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 €23.87

$16.92 €15.05

58.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.25 €2.00

-31.56%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$28.0K €24.9K

37.17%

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

$38.7K €34.4K

$28.2K €25.1K

36.94%

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

$103 €91.3

$205 €182

-49.82%

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

$25.31 €22.51

$26.65 €23.71

-5.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 €38.36

$30.38 €27.02

41.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.84

$10.42 €9.27

-4.61%

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

$368 €327

$569 €506

-35.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €9,954

$12.6K €11.2K

-11.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 €78.3

$88.7 €78.9

-0.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.78 €36.27

$40.46 €35.99

0.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 €87.2

$105 €93.3

-6.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.7 €70.0

$121 €108

-35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,428 €2,160

$741 €659

227.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,707

$655 €582

193.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 €1,999

$1,300 €1,156

72.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,757 €2,453

$1,148 €1,021

140.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,222 €2,866

$1,242 €1,105

159.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

4.48

-35.27%

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

Last update for Marsa: 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

Marsa

$1.9K 66.9%

Athens

$655 36.9% 65.9% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Marsa

$329 11.5%

Athens

$310 17.5% 5.7% $19

Eating Out

Marsa

$275 9.6%

Athens

$268 15.1% 2.7% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsa

$171 6%

Athens

$262 14.7% 52.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Marsa

$137 4.8%

Athens

$160 9% 16.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Marsa

$20 * 0.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 279% $55

Getting Around

Marsa

$17 * 0.6%

Athens

$45 2.5% 164% $28

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 $2,428 in Marsa and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marsa pays 159% 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: $86.0 in Marsa vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Marsa

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

19:14 7:14 PM

1 h ahead of Marsa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

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

Marsa Athens 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Marsa
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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

Marsa vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Marsa. 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 159% higher in Marsa, 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: $2,428 in Marsa versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $368 in Marsa 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 $86.0 in Marsa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,870 in Marsa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Marsa. 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, Marsa 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 62% less than in Marsa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.