Measurement units Temperature, distance and clock format
Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabat and Athens
For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $834 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rabat and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $834 in Rabat versus $1,806 in Athens.
Rabat $834
Athens $1,806
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,433 in Rabat versus $2,731 in Athens.
Rabat $1,433
Athens $2,731
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,031 in Rabat versus $3,656 in Athens.
Rabat $2,031
Athens $3,656
🌍
Living in Rabat costs roughly 54% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Rabat is 38% below, Athens is 35% above.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Rabat
Athens
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.27MAD 42.37
$16.66€14.85
-74.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.69MAD 404
$66.2€59.0
-38.53%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$6.91MAD 68.6
$11.06€9.86
-37.52%
Cappuccino
$1.92MAD 19.00
$4.14€3.69
-53.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56MAD 5.58
$2.80€2.50
-80.00%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35MAD 3.49
$0.57€0.51
-38.60%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$5.07MAD 50.2
$5.64€5.03
-10.11%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09MAD 30.65
$5.46€4.86
-43.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rabat
Athens
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.86MAD 8.53
$1.96€1.74
-56.12%
White Bread(500g)
$0.65MAD 6.41
$1.41€1.25
-53.90%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.91MAD 18.94
$2.83€2.53
-32.51%
Eggs
$1.84MAD 18.28
$5.04€4.49
-63.49%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$11.01MAD 109
$15.35€13.68
-28.27%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$6.63MAD 65.8
$10.34€9.22
-35.88%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$11.99MAD 119
$18.97€16.92
-36.79%
Apples(1kg)
$1.59MAD 15.78
$2.17€1.93
-26.73%
Banana(1kg)
$1.36MAD 13.44
$1.91€1.70
-28.80%
Oranges(1kg)
$0.83MAD 8.23
$1.38€1.23
-39.86%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.88MAD 8.74
$2.20€1.96
-60.00%
Potato(1kg)
$0.71MAD 7.06
$1.10€0.98
-35.45%
Onion(1kg)
$0.79MAD 7.80
$1.13€1.00
-30.09%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.39MAD 3.90
$1.10€0.98
-64.55%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58MAD 5.76
$0.83€0.74
-30.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$4.10MAD 40.64
$5.60€4.99
-26.79%
Wine(Bottle)
$7.14MAD 70.9
$10.19€9.08
-29.93%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.62MAD 26.02
$2.18€1.95
20.18%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61MAD 25.90
$2.45€2.18
6.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Rabat
Athens
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.49MAD 4.86
$1.38€1.23
-64.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$24.98MAD 248
$30.87€27.52
-19.08%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.72MAD 7.13
$4.37€3.90
-83.52%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.58MAD 5.76
$1.04€0.93
-44.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
-
$17.11€15.26
-
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.48MAD 14.64
$2.31€2.06
-35.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.2KMAD 299.3K
$28.0K€24.9K
7.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.6KMAD 293.6K
$28.0K€25.0K
5.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rabat
Athens
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$35.22MAD 349
$210€187
-83.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.44MAD 93.7
$26.70€23.80
-64.64%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.23MAD 330
$30.13€26.86
10.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rabat
Athens
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$27.99MAD 278
$54.6€48.68
-48.74%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.54MAD 233
$26.03€23.21
-9.57%
Cinema Ticket
$5.97MAD 59.2
$10.78€9.61
-44.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rabat
Athens
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$180MAD 1,786
$575€513
-68.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$9,210MAD 91.3K
$13.1K€11.7K
-29.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rabat
Athens
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.06MAD 457
$93.2€83.1
-50.56%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.15MAD 388
$40.68€36.27
-3.76%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$91.4MAD 906
$104€92.8
-12.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.9MAD 644
$128€114
-49.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rabat
Athens
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$521MAD 5,171
$756€674
-31.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$268MAD 2,661
$652€582
-58.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$956MAD 9,485
$1,294€1,153
-26.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$686MAD 6,809
$1,163€1,037
-40.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$1,967MAD 19.5K
$4,008€3,574
-50.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,136MAD 11.3K
$3,452€3,078
-67.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rabat
Athens
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$695MAD 6,893
$1,243€1,109
-44.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
4.52
4.48
0.89%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Rabat: October 3, 2026
Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Rabat
$268 32%
Athens
$652 36.5% ↑ 143%$384
🛒Groceries & Markets
Rabat
$201 23.9%
Athens
$315 17.6% ↑ 56.6%$114
🍽Eating Out
Rabat
$113 13.5%
Athens
$269 15% ↑ 138%$156
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Rabat
$109 13%
Athens
$165 9.2% ↑ 51.7%$56
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rabat
$78 9.3%
Athens
$267 14.9% ↑ 242%$189
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Rabat
$40 4.8%
Athens
$76 4.3% ↑ 90.7%$36
🚌Getting Around
Rabat
$31 3.6%
Athens
$46 2.6% ↑ 50.3%$15
🏠Accommodation & Living
Rabat
$686 33.4%
Athens
$1.2K 31.4% ↑ 69.4%$476
🛒Groceries & Markets
Rabat
$459 22.3%
Athens
$737 19.9% ↑ 60.8%$279
🍽Eating Out
Rabat
$419 20.4%
Athens
$873 23.6% ↑ 108%$454
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Rabat
$241 11.7%
Athens
$366 9.9% ↑ 51.7%$125
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rabat
$87 4.2%
Athens
$293 7.9% ↑ 236%$206
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Rabat
$103 5%
Athens
$178 4.8% ↑ 72.5%$75
🚌Getting Around
Rabat
$62 3%
Athens
$95 2.6% ↑ 52.4%$33
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $521 in Rabat and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Athens pays 79% 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: $41.00 in Rabat vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $315 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.
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
Rabat vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Rabat or Athens?
Rabat wins on cost – living expenses run 117% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rabat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Rabat or in Athens?
On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Athens. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Rabat compared to Athens?
Rent for a central apartment: $521 in Rabat versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Rabat and in Athens?
Dining out is cheaper in Rabat – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Rabat compared to Athens?
All in, you'll spend $834 per month in Rabat versus $1,806 in Athens – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Rabat or in Athens?
At $834 in Rabat versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rabat but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Rabat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Rabat or Athens?
Both work as nomad bases, but Rabat delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $834 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rabat hard to pass up.
How safe is Rabat compared to Athens?
Safety-wise, Rabat 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Rabat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.