Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de Compostela and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,439 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,439

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,775 in Athens.

Santiago de Compostela $1,439
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,215 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,721 in Athens.

Santiago de Compostela $2,215
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,991 in Santiago de Compostela versus $3,666 in Athens.

Santiago de Compostela $2,991
Athens $3,666

Living in Santiago de Compostela costs roughly 19% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santiago de Compostela 7% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.22 €11.76

$16.69 €14.84

-20.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$67.8 €60.3

-1.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 €8.19

$11.14 €9.91

-17.32%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$4.03 €3.58

-51.61%

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

$2.69 €2.39

$2.77 €2.46

-2.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.55 €0.49

294.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 €2.76

$5.74 €5.10

-45.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.45 €4.85

-28.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.82 €1.62

-34.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.38 €1.23

-15.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.80 €2.49

-52.86%

Eggs

$2.77 €2.47

$4.83 €4.30

-42.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 €7.88

$15.05 €13.39

-41.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 €5.93

$10.63 €9.45

-37.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.00 €15.12

$18.43 €16.39

-7.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.20 €1.96

-7.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.90 €1.69

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.37 €1.22

8.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.10 €1.87

36.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.08 €0.96

81.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.12 €1.00

31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.12 €1.00

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.88 €0.79

-4.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$5.48 €4.88

8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 €4.55

$10.13 €9.01

-49.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.13 €1.89

-31.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.25 €2.00

5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.36 €1.21

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.89 €29.26

$29.89 €26.59

10.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 €4.33

$4.45 €3.96

9.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.02 €0.90

28.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.83 €16.75

$16.92 €15.05

11.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.25 €2.00

-24.89%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$28.0K €24.9K

26.27%

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

$28.8K €25.7K

$28.2K €25.1K

2.16%

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

$155 €138

$205 €182

-24.16%

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

$21.74 €19.34

$26.65 €23.71

-18.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.64 €29.04

$30.38 €27.02

7.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 €45.56

$54.5 €48.47

-6.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.19 €1.95

$25.88 €23.02

-91.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 €8.99

$10.42 €9.27

-2.98%

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

$331 €294

$569 €506

-41.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,249 €7,337

$12.6K €11.2K

-34.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$88.7 €78.9

-1.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.9 €55.9

$40.46 €35.99

55.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$105 €93.3

-4.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 €82.1

$121 €108

-23.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 €633

$741 €659

-3.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 €459

$655 €582

-21.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 €931

$1,300 €1,156

-19.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €773

$1,148 €1,021

-24.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,001 €2,670

$4,014 €3,570

-25.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,094 €1,863

$3,460 €3,078

-39.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,870 €1,663

$1,242 €1,105

50.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

4.48

-33.93%

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

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago de Compostela

$516 35.9%

Athens

$655 36.9% 26.9% $139

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de Compostela

$240 16.6%

Athens

$310 17.5% 29.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de Compostela

$210 14.6%

Athens

$262 14.7% 24.9% $52

Eating Out

Santiago de Compostela

$199 13.9%

Athens

$268 15.1% 34.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de Compostela

$154 10.7%

Athens

$160 9% 3.6% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de Compostela

$71 5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 5.5% $3.9

Getting Around

Santiago de Compostela

$49 3.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 8.6% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $712 in Santiago de Compostela and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de Compostela pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $310 per month, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

1 h ahead of Santiago de Compostela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,687

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

Santiago de Compostela Athens 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago de Compostela
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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

Santiago de Compostela vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago de Compostela wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago de Compostela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 51% higher in Santiago de Compostela, 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: $712 in Santiago de Compostela versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,439 per month in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,775 in Athens – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santiago de Compostela but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago de Compostela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santiago de Compostela delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,439 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santiago de Compostela hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.