Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samos and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Samos: $1,411 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Samos
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Samos Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,411

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,411 in Samos versus $1,771 in Athens.

Samos $1,411
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,081 in Samos versus $2,736 in Athens.

Samos $2,081
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,751 in Samos versus $3,701 in Athens.

Samos $2,751
Athens $3,701

Living in Samos costs roughly 20% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Samos 4% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.13 €9.90

$16.83 €14.97

-33.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.72 €35.33

$68.2 €60.7

-41.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 €6.11

$11.43 €10.17

-39.90%

Cappuccino

$3.02 €2.68

$4.06 €3.61

-25.62%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$2.74 €2.44

-13.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.53 €0.47

66.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 €3.67

$5.69 €5.06

-27.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 €5.74

$5.68 €5.06

13.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.85 €1.64

-17.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.44 €1.28

-4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.82 €2.51

-7.45%

Eggs

$4.56 €4.06

$4.86 €4.32

-6.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 €11.78

$15.27 €13.58

-13.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 €8.59

$10.36 €9.21

-6.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 €12.59

$19.10 €16.99

-25.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.22 €1.98

-2.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.92 €1.71

4.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.41 €1.25

0.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.04 €1.82

-4.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.05 €0.93

10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.17 €1.04

-1.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.08 €0.96

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.84 €0.75

1.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 €4.77

$5.49 €4.89

-2.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.02

$10.17 €9.05

-33.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.13 €1.90

-3.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.28 €2.03

14.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.21

$1.37 €1.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.20 €39.32

$29.71 €26.43

48.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 €3.83

$4.39 €3.90

-2.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.00 €0.89

9.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.66

$16.63 €14.79

-0.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.38 €2.11

-9.66%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$28.4K €25.3K

-1.04%

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

$25.3K €22.5K

$27.2K €24.2K

-7.14%

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

$207 €184

$203 €181

1.93%

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

$23.54 €20.94

$26.79 €23.83

-12.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.70 €27.31

$30.16 €26.82

1.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 €45.61

$53.7 €47.74

-4.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.38 €22.57

$26.40 €23.48

-3.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.94 €7.96

$10.59 €9.42

-15.58%

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

$429 €382

$566 €504

-24.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,664 €6,817

$12.9K €11.4K

-40.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 €80.0

$89.1 €79.3

0.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 €35.59

$40.48 €36.01

-1.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 €77.1

$104 €92.3

-16.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$124 €111

-2.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 €428

$729 €648

-33.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 €356

$647 €576

-38.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,328 €1,181

-44.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 €544

$1,169 €1,040

-47.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,683 €2,387

$4,024 €3,579

-33.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 €1,940

$3,483 €3,098

-37.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$990 €881

$1,240 €1,103

-20.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

4.48

-0.45%

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

Last update for Samos: October 18, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samos

$400 28.4%

Athens

$647 36.5% 61.7% $247

Groceries & Markets

Samos

$276 19.6%

Athens

$312 17.6% 13.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samos

$262 18.5%

Athens

$260 14.7% 0.5% $1.2

Eating Out

Samos

$192 13.6%

Athens

$271 15.3% 40.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Samos

$152 10.8%

Athens

$161 9.1% 5.8% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Samos

$69 4.9%

Athens

$75 4.2% 8.2% $5.7

Getting Around

Samos

$59 4.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 25% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Samos and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 25% 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: $40.00 in Samos vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $312 per month, with Samos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Samos

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

Same time as Samos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,814

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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

Samos vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samos wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Samos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Samos versus $729 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Samos – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,411 per month in Samos versus $1,771 in Athens – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,411 in Samos versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Samos but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Samos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Samos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,411 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Samos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Samos 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 Samos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.