Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scalea and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Scalea and in Athens: $1,727 and $1,771 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,727

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,727 in Scalea versus $1,771 in Athens.

Scalea $1,727
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,568 in Scalea versus $2,736 in Athens.

Scalea $2,568
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,408 in Scalea versus $3,701 in Athens.

Scalea $3,408
Athens $3,701

Living in Scalea costs roughly 2% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scalea 27% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.09

$16.83 €14.97

0.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.17

$68.2 €60.7

-18.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 €10.01

$11.43 €10.17

-1.49%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.86

$4.06 €3.61

-48.52%

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

$2.97 €2.64

$2.74 €2.44

8.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.53 €0.47

301.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 €6.04

$5.69 €5.06

19.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$5.68 €5.06

-24.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.85 €1.64

-31.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.44 €1.28

9.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.82 €2.51

-6.74%

Eggs

$3.48 €3.10

$4.86 €4.32

-28.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 €10.12

$15.27 €13.58

-25.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.88 €10.57

$10.36 €9.21

14.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.59 €13.87

$19.10 €16.99

-18.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.22 €1.98

-13.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.92 €1.71

-13.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.41 €1.25

-2.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.04 €1.82

25.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.05 €0.93

69.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.17 €1.04

9.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.08 €0.96

19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 €0.39

$0.84 €0.75

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 €6.10

$5.49 €4.89

24.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 €6.83

$10.17 €9.05

-24.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.13 €1.90

-13.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.28 €2.03

-32.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.37 €1.22

16.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.36 €38.57

$29.71 €26.43

45.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 €4.06

$4.39 €3.90

4.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.00 €0.89

9.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.63

$16.63 €14.79

32.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.38 €2.11

-10.08%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$28.4K €25.3K

27.85%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$27.2K €24.2K

34.00%

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

$306 €272

$203 €181

50.54%

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

$10.58 €9.41

$26.79 €23.83

-60.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.67 €30.84

$30.16 €26.82

14.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 €49.99

$53.7 €47.74

4.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 €23.55

$26.40 €23.48

0.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €7.93

$10.59 €9.42

-15.86%

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

$457 €407

$566 €504

-19.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,688 €5,949

$12.9K €11.4K

-47.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.6 €73.5

$89.1 €79.3

-7.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.33 €29.64

$40.48 €36.01

-17.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €78.2

$104 €92.3

-15.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$124 €111

3.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 €585

$729 €648

-9.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 €496

$647 €576

-13.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €940

$1,328 €1,181

-20.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 €868

$1,169 €1,040

-16.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,430 €1,272

$4,024 €3,579

-64.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,170 €1,041

$3,483 €3,098

-66.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

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 Scalea: October 17, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scalea

$558 32.3%

Athens

$647 36.5% 16% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scalea

$351 20.4%

Athens

$260 14.7% 25.9% $91

Groceries & Markets

Scalea

$277 16%

Athens

$312 17.6% 12.8% $35

Eating Out

Scalea

$258 14.9%

Athens

$271 15.3% 5.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Scalea

$150 8.7%

Athens

$161 9.1% 7.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Scalea

$74 4.3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Scalea

$60 3.5%

Athens

$45 2.5% 25.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $658 in Scalea and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Scalea vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $312 per month, with Scalea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Scalea

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

1 h ahead of Scalea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,913

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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Between locations

Scalea Athens 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Scalea
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

Scalea vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scalea wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Scalea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,591 in Scalea and $2,657 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $658 in Scalea versus $729 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Scalea – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,727 per month in Scalea versus $1,771 in Athens – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,727 in Scalea versus $1,771 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Scalea but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Scalea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Scalea delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,727 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Scalea hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Scalea 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 Scalea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.