Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paola and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,086 in Paola, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Paola
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Paola Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Paola

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,086

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,086 in Paola versus $1,775 in Athens.

Paola $2,086
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,108 in Paola versus $2,721 in Athens.

Paola $3,108
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,130 in Paola versus $3,666 in Athens.

Paola $4,130
Athens $3,666

Living in Paola is roughly 18% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paola 55% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.50 €17.34

$16.69 €14.84

16.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 €77.1

$67.8 €60.3

27.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.70

$11.14 €9.91

18.13%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.38

$4.03 €3.58

-33.75%

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

$3.04 €2.70

$2.77 €2.46

9.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.96

$0.55 €0.49

301.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.47 €3.98

$5.74 €5.10

-22.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 €4.54

$5.45 €4.85

-6.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.82 €1.62

-26.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.38 €1.23

-5.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 €3.93

$2.80 €2.49

57.86%

Eggs

$4.16 €3.70

$4.83 €4.30

-13.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 €7.11

$15.05 €13.39

-46.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 €9.19

$10.63 €9.45

-2.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 €16.53

$18.43 €16.39

0.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.20 €1.96

94.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$1.90 €1.69

42.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 €3.27

$1.37 €1.22

168.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 €2.93

$2.10 €1.87

56.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.08 €0.96

126.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.12 €1.00

81.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.12 €1.00

103.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.14

$0.88 €0.79

46.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.90

$5.48 €4.88

21.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 €7.04

$10.13 €9.01

-21.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.13 €1.89

-21.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.25 €2.00

4.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.36 €1.21

88.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.59 €4.98

$4.45 €3.96

25.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.02 €0.90

115.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.01 €24.02

$16.92 €15.05

59.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.25 €2.00

-31.56%

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

$37.7K €33.5K

$28.0K €24.9K

34.48%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$28.2K €25.1K

37.90%

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

$102 €91.1

$205 €182

-49.94%

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

$25.39 €22.58

$26.65 €23.71

-4.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.44 €37.75

$30.38 €27.02

39.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 €53.2

$54.5 €48.47

9.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 €8.79

$10.42 €9.27

-5.18%

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

$359 €320

$569 €506

-36.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,795

$12.6K €11.2K

-12.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 €77.2

$88.7 €78.9

-2.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.15 €35.72

$40.46 €35.99

-0.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.6

$105 €93.3

-6.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 €70.2

$121 €108

-34.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,151

$741 €659

74.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €948

$655 €582

62.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,778 €1,582

$1,300 €1,156

36.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 €1,463

$1,148 €1,021

43.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,598 €3,200

$4,014 €3,570

-10.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,442 €2,172

$3,460 €3,078

-29.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

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 Paola: October 10, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paola

$1.1K 51.1%

Athens

$655 36.9% 38.6% $411

Groceries & Markets

Paola

$326 15.6%

Athens

$310 17.5% 4.7% $15

Eating Out

Paola

$281 13.5%

Athens

$268 15.1% 4.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paola

$170 8.2%

Athens

$262 14.7% 53.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Paola

$137 6.6%

Athens

$160 9% 16.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Paola

$80 3.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 5.4% $4.3

Getting Around

Paola

$27 * 1.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 67.1% $18

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 $1,294 in Paola and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $87.0 in Paola vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Paola

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

14:02 2:02 PM

1 h ahead of Paola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Paola Athens 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Paola
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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

Paola vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Paola. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,129 in Paola and $2,662 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,294 in Paola versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $359 in Paola 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 $87.0 in Paola. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,086 in Paola, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Paola. 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, Paola 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 18% less than in Paola. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.