Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palermo and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Palermo: $1,578 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palermo
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Palermo Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Palermo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,578

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,578 in Palermo versus $1,806 in Athens.

Palermo $1,578
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,300 in Palermo versus $2,731 in Athens.

Palermo $2,300
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,023 in Palermo versus $3,656 in Athens.

Palermo $3,023
Athens $3,656

Living in Palermo costs roughly 13% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palermo 18% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.14 €13.51

$16.66 €14.87

-9.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 €51.0

$66.2 €59.1

-13.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.85

$11.06 €9.87

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$2.03 €1.82

$4.14 €3.69

-50.97%

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

$2.33 €2.08

$2.80 €2.50

-16.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$0.57 €0.51

121.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 €4.98

$5.64 €5.03

-1.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.45

$5.46 €4.87

-29.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.96 €1.75

-36.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.41 €1.26

30.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 €2.44

$2.83 €2.53

-3.53%

Eggs

$2.88 €2.57

$5.04 €4.50

-42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 €13.34

$15.35 €13.70

-2.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 €10.53

$10.34 €9.23

14.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.33 €15.46

$18.97 €16.93

-8.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.58

$2.17 €1.93

33.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.91 €1.70

10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 €2.57

$1.38 €1.23

107.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 €2.65

$2.20 €1.96

35.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.10 €0.98

57.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.13 €1.00

29.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.10 €0.99

62.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.39

$0.83 €0.74

-48.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 €6.14

$5.60 €4.99

22.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 €6.70

$10.19 €9.09

-26.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.70

$2.45 €2.19

23.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.38 €1.23

11.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.26 €31.46

$30.87 €27.55

14.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 €3.09

$4.37 €3.90

-20.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.04 €0.93

10.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.50 €33.46

$17.11 €15.27

119.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.31 €2.07

-12.12%

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

$36.9K €32.9K

$28.0K €25.0K

31.70%

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

$35.8K €32.0K

$28.0K €25.0K

27.83%

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

$225 €201

$210 €187

7.12%

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

$10.21 €9.11

$26.70 €23.83

-61.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.52 €23.67

$30.13 €26.89

-11.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.74 €40.81

$54.6 €48.72

-16.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.52 €28.13

$26.03 €23.23

21.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.09

$10.78 €9.62

-15.86%

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

$453 €404

$575 €513

-21.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,713 €5,098

$13.1K €11.7K

-56.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.7

$93.2 €83.1

-22.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.45 €28.07

$40.68 €36.30

-22.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.4

$104 €92.9

-18.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$128 €115

-1.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$743 €663

$756 €674

-1.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 €446

$652 €582

-23.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 €973

$1,294 €1,154

-15.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 €639

$1,163 €1,038

-38.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,595 €2,315

$4,008 €3,577

-35.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,296 €1,156

$3,452 €3,081

-62.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,634 €1,458

$1,243 €1,110

31.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

4.48

-24.33%

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

Last update for Palermo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palermo

$499 32%

Athens

$652 36.5% 30.6% $153

Groceries & Markets

Palermo

$315 20.2%

Athens

$315 17.6% 0.1% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palermo

$261 16.8%

Athens

$267 14.9% 2% $5.2

Eating Out

Palermo

$229 14.7%

Athens

$269 15% 17.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Palermo

$142 9.1%

Athens

$165 9.2% 16.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Palermo

$64 4.1%

Athens

$76 4.3% 19.2% $12

Getting Around

Palermo

$51 3.2%

Athens

$46 2.6% 9.2% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $743 in Palermo and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palermo pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57.0 in Palermo vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $315 per month, with Palermo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Palermo

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

07:55 7:55 AM

1 h ahead of Palermo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,165

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

Palermo Athens 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Palermo
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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

Palermo vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palermo wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Palermo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Palermo, 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: $743 in Palermo versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Palermo – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,578 per month in Palermo versus $1,806 in Athens – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,578 in Palermo versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Palermo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Palermo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Palermo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,578 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Palermo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Palermo 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 Palermo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.