Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Joao da Madeira and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Madeira: $1,510 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. The total is higher in Athens despite lower rent and utilities.

73

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
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Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,510

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,775 in Athens.

Sao Joao da Madeira $1,510
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,107 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $2,721 in Athens.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,107
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,704 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $3,666 in Athens.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,704
Athens $3,666

Living in Sao Joao da Madeira costs roughly 15% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sao Joao da Madeira 12% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 €8.95

$16.69 €14.84

-39.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.79 €17.60

$67.8 €60.3

-70.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 €6.98

$11.14 €9.91

-29.53%

Cappuccino

$1.14 €1.01

$4.03 €3.58

-71.71%

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

$1.09 €0.97

$2.77 €2.46

-60.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.55 €0.49

76.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.95

$5.74 €5.10

-42.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$5.45 €4.85

-60.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 €0.75

$1.82 €1.62

-53.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 €0.28

$1.38 €1.23

-76.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.80 €2.49

-59.29%

Eggs

$2.68 €2.39

$4.83 €4.30

-44.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 €7.63

$15.05 €13.39

-42.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 €4.91

$10.63 €9.45

-48.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.51 €5.79

$18.43 €16.39

-64.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.20 €1.96

-7.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.90 €1.69

-28.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.37 €1.22

33.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.10 €1.87

35.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.08 €0.96

82.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.12 €1.00

67.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.12 €1.00

10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.88 €0.79

11.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 €5.59

$5.48 €4.88

14.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.53 €4.03

$10.13 €9.01

-55.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.07

$2.13 €1.89

-43.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.25 €2.00

-27.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.36 €1.21

64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.68 €35.29

$29.89 €26.59

32.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 €3.85

$4.45 €3.96

-2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.02 €0.90

74.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.67 €14.83

$16.92 €15.05

-1.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.25 €2.00

-15.56%

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

$33.1K €29.4K

$28.0K €24.9K

18.01%

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

$37.7K €33.5K

$28.2K €25.1K

33.40%

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

$110 €97.7

$205 €182

-46.32%

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

$16.96 €15.08

$26.65 €23.71

-36.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.09 €40.99

$30.38 €27.02

51.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.59 €33.44

$54.5 €48.47

-31.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.09 €13.42

$25.88 €23.02

-41.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.44 €4.84

$10.42 €9.27

-47.79%

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

$341 €303

$569 €506

-40.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,932

$12.6K €11.2K

-20.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 €58.3

$88.7 €78.9

-26.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 €33.42

$40.46 €35.99

-7.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.7 €73.5

$105 €93.3

-21.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.5 €87.6

$121 €108

-18.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 €851

$741 €659

29.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 €683

$655 €582

17.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,349

$1,300 €1,156

16.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,035

$1,148 €1,021

1.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,957 €2,631

$4,014 €3,570

-26.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,267 €2,017

$3,460 €3,078

-34.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,048 €932

$1,242 €1,105

-15.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

4.48

-20.76%

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

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: 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

Sao Joao da Madeira

$768 50.8%

Athens

$655 36.9% 14.8% $113

Groceries & Markets

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12.2%

Athens

$310 17.5% 68.5% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Joao da Madeira

$173 11.5%

Athens

$262 14.7% 51.4% $89

Eating Out

Sao Joao da Madeira

$147 9.7%

Athens

$268 15.1% 82.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Joao da Madeira

$128 8.5%

Athens

$160 9% 25% $32

Getting Around

Sao Joao da Madeira

$62 4.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 27.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Joao da Madeira

$48 3.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 55.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 19% 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: $20.00 in Sao Joao da Madeira vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $310 per month, with Sao Joao da Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

2 h ahead of Sao Joao da Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,144

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

Sao Joao da Madeira Athens 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Sao Joao da Madeira vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 19% 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: $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Joao da Madeira – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,510 per month in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,775 in Athens – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Joao da Madeira but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Joao da Madeira the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Joao da Madeira delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,510 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Joao da Madeira hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sao Joao da Madeira 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 Sao Joao da Madeira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.