Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Riyadh and in Athens: $1,738 and $1,779 a month, rent and utilities included.

82

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,779 in Athens.

Riyadh $1,738
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,575 in Riyadh versus $2,721 in Athens.

Riyadh $2,575
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,413 in Riyadh versus $3,663 in Athens.

Riyadh $3,413
Athens $3,663

Monthly costs are close between Riyadh and Athens; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riyadh 29% above, Athens 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.20 SAR 30.79

$16.83 €14.99

-51.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 SAR 246

$66.0 €58.8

-0.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 SAR 30.20

$11.21 €9.99

-28.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 SAR 10.74

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$4.08 €3.64

8.58%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.28

$2.77 €2.47

-68.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 SAR 1.25

$0.54 €0.48

-38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$1.84 €1.64

-2.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.83

$1.43 €1.27

-9.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.80

$2.67 €2.38

-12.36%

Eggs

$3.11 SAR 11.67

$4.95 €4.41

-37.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 SAR 39.96

$15.09 €13.45

-29.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 SAR 35.12

$10.99 €9.79

-14.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 SAR 56.6

$19.77 €17.61

-23.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 SAR 10.95

$2.12 €1.89

37.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 SAR 7.32

$1.98 €1.76

-1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 SAR 9.35

$1.33 €1.19

87.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

$2.16 €1.92

-21.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.06 €0.94

11.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 5.00

$1.15 €1.02

15.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

$1.08 €0.97

62.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.00

$0.85 €0.75

-37.65%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.91 SAR 29.69

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.45

$5.46 €4.86

43.77%

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)

$1.03 SAR 3.86

$1.35 €1.20

-23.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.93 SAR 139

$30.52 €27.19

21.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 SAR 12.10

$3.81 €3.39

-15.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.18

$1.03 €0.92

85.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.08 SAR 49.10

$16.49 €14.68

-20.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$2.34 €2.09

-72.65%

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

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

$27.8K €24.7K

-4.17%

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

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

$26.6K €23.7K

-15.81%

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

$105 SAR 394

$202 €180

-48.06%

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

$29.43 SAR 110

$26.81 €23.88

9.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 SAR 260

$30.49 €27.16

127.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.4 SAR 291

$54.1 €48.17

43.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.7 SAR 209

$27.40 €24.41

103.25%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 SAR 52.6

$10.44 €9.30

34.10%

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

$555 SAR 2,082

$568 €506

-2.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K SAR 63.7K

$15.2K €13.5K

11.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 SAR 219

$90.7 €80.8

-35.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 SAR 202

$39.32 €35.03

36.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$105 €93.7

-0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SAR 391

$129 €115

-19.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 SAR 4,270

$742 €661

53.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SAR 3,160

$648 €578

29.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 SAR 8,102

$1,271 €1,132

69.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 SAR 4,739

$1,122 €999

12.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 SAR 10.2K

$3,999 €3,562

-32.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,655 SAR 6,212

$3,281 €2,923

-49.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,088 SAR 7,837

$1,245 €1,109

67.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

4.44

24.77%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$842 48.5%

Athens

$648 36.4% 23% $194

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Athens

$316 17.8% 31.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$204 11.7%

Athens

$260 14.6% 27.3% $56

Eating Out

Riyadh

$148 8.5%

Athens

$272 15.3% 83.7% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Athens

$164 9.2% 13.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$105 6.1%

Athens

$75 4.2% 28.9% $30

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 16.6% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,138 in Riyadh and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 68% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Riyadh vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $316 per month, with Riyadh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

20:21 8:21 PM

1 h behind Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

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 5, 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Riyadh Athens 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
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

Riyadh vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 68% higher in Riyadh, 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: $1,138 in Riyadh versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

A monthly transit pass in Athens runs roughly 17% less than in Riyadh. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Riyadh gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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