Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mecca and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $1,094 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
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Mecca Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,094

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,094 in Mecca versus $1,779 in Athens.

Mecca $1,094
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,615 in Mecca versus $2,721 in Athens.

Mecca $1,615
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,136 in Mecca versus $3,663 in Athens.

Mecca $2,136
Athens $3,663

Living in Mecca costs roughly 39% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mecca is 19% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.49 SAR 16.84

$16.83 €14.99

-73.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.81 SAR 101

$66.0 €58.8

-59.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.81 SAR 25.55

$11.21 €9.98

-39.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 SAR 5.70

Cappuccino

$2.60 SAR 9.74

$4.08 €3.64

-36.27%

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

$0.67 SAR 2.52

$2.77 €2.47

-75.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.95

$0.54 €0.48

-53.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SAR 6.32

$1.84 €1.64

-8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 SAR 3.48

$1.43 €1.27

-34.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 SAR 8.20

$2.67 €2.38

-18.35%

Eggs

$2.48 SAR 9.29

$4.95 €4.41

-49.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.83 SAR 21.86

$15.09 €13.44

-61.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.11 SAR 30.43

$10.99 €9.79

-26.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.91 SAR 48.47

$19.77 €17.60

-34.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 SAR 7.78

$2.12 €1.89

-2.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.06

$1.98 €1.76

-18.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.81

$1.33 €1.18

16.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 SAR 5.79

$2.16 €1.92

-28.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.40

$1.06 €0.94

10.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$1.15 €1.02

13.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 SAR 3.88

$1.08 €0.96

-4.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.00

$0.85 €0.75

-37.65%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.15 SAR 15.58

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.72 SAR 25.23

$5.46 €4.86

23.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 SAR 4.05

$1.35 €1.20

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.50 SAR 171

$30.52 €27.18

49.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$3.81 €3.39

-54.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 SAR 6.42

$1.03 €0.92

66.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.44 SAR 54.2

$16.49 €14.68

-12.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.23

$2.34 €2.09

-74.79%

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

$26.5K SAR 99.4K

$27.8K €24.7K

-4.64%

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

$21.2K SAR 79.7K

$26.6K €23.7K

-20.23%

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

$65.3 SAR 245

$202 €180

-67.71%

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

$34.55 SAR 130

$26.81 €23.87

28.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 SAR 236

$30.49 €27.14

106.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.9 SAR 304

$54.1 €48.14

49.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.24 SAR 159

$27.40 €24.40

54.16%

Cinema Ticket

$11.74 SAR 44.05

$10.44 €9.30

12.45%

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

$760 SAR 2,854

$568 €505

33.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,355 SAR 20.1K

$15.2K €13.5K

-64.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.12 SAR 49.23

$90.7 €80.7

-85.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 SAR 218

$39.32 €35.01

47.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.45 SAR 148

$105 €93.7

-62.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.3 SAR 196

$129 €115

-59.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 SAR 2,275

$742 €661

-18.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 SAR 1,539

$648 €577

-36.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 SAR 3,365

$1,271 €1,132

-29.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$614 SAR 2,304

$1,122 €999

-45.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,211 SAR 19.6K

$3,999 €3,561

30.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,210 SAR 4,540

$3,281 €2,921

-63.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,094 SAR 4,108

$1,245 €1,109

-12.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

4.44

18.24%

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

Last update for Mecca: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mecca

$410 37.5%

Athens

$648 36.4% 58.2% $238

Groceries & Markets

Mecca

$192 17.6%

Athens

$316 17.8% 64.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mecca

$163 14.9%

Athens

$260 14.6% 59.4% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Mecca

$104 9.5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 28.2% $29

Eating Out

Mecca

$91 8.3%

Athens

$272 15.3% 198% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Mecca

$73 6.7%

Athens

$164 9.2% 124% $91

Getting Around

Mecca

$60 5.5%

Athens

$45 2.5% 25.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $606 in Mecca and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 14% 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: $27 in Mecca vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $316 per month, with Mecca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Mecca

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

1 h behind Mecca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,675,368

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mecca Athens 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mecca
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

Mecca vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mecca wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mecca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Mecca. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $606 in Mecca versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mecca – a meal for two runs $27 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,094 per month in Mecca versus $1,779 in Athens – Mecca is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,094 in Mecca versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mecca but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mecca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Mecca and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Mecca wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.