Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sintra and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Sintra: $1,592 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Athens despite lower rent and utilities.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
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Sintra Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,592

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,592 in Sintra versus $1,775 in Athens.

Sintra $1,592
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,317 in Sintra versus $2,721 in Athens.

Sintra $2,317
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,041 in Sintra versus $3,666 in Athens.

Sintra $3,041
Athens $3,666

Living in Sintra costs roughly 10% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sintra 18% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 €11.61

$16.69 €14.84

-21.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.24

$67.8 €60.3

-18.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 €7.87

$11.14 €9.91

-20.65%

Cappuccino

$1.28 €1.14

$4.03 €3.58

-68.24%

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

$1.54 €1.37

$2.77 €2.46

-44.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.07

$0.55 €0.49

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 €2.89

$5.74 €5.10

-43.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.44

$5.45 €4.85

-49.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.82 €1.62

-41.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.38 €1.23

-8.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.80 €2.49

-52.86%

Eggs

$2.60 €2.31

$4.83 €4.30

-46.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 €8.13

$15.05 €13.39

-39.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 €6.15

$10.63 €9.45

-35.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 €9.85

$18.43 €16.39

-39.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.20 €1.96

-16.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.90 €1.69

-35.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.37 €1.22

-2.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.10 €1.87

6.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.08 €0.96

15.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.12 €1.00

45.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.12 €1.00

41.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$0.88 €0.79

-28.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 €5.56

$5.48 €4.88

14.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$10.13 €9.01

-67.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.13 €1.89

-39.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$2.25 €2.00

-37.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.94

$1.36 €1.21

61.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.73 €37.11

$29.89 €26.59

39.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 €3.26

$4.45 €3.96

-17.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 €0.44

$1.02 €0.90

-50.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.24 €14.45

$16.92 €15.05

-4.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.25 €2.00

-8.00%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$28.0K €24.9K

21.88%

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

$38.2K €33.9K

$28.2K €25.1K

35.16%

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

$129 €115

$205 €182

-37.04%

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

$21.92 €19.50

$26.65 €23.71

-17.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.30 €40.30

$30.38 €27.02

49.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.17 €36.62

$54.5 €48.47

-24.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.52 €13.81

$25.88 €23.02

-40.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 €7.91

$10.42 €9.27

-14.68%

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

$604 €538

$569 €506

6.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,207 €5,522

$12.6K €11.2K

-50.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 €66.3

$88.7 €78.9

-15.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.04 €40.07

$40.46 €35.99

11.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.1

$105 €93.3

2.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.27 €43.82

$121 €108

-59.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 €869

$741 €659

31.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 €688

$655 €582

18.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 €1,379

$1,300 €1,156

19.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 €1,043

$1,148 €1,021

2.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,033 €2,698

$4,014 €3,570

-24.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 €1,989

$3,460 €3,078

-35.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,347 €1,198

$1,242 €1,105

8.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

4.48

-20.98%

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

Last update for Sintra: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sintra

$774 48.6%

Athens

$655 36.9% 15.4% $119

Groceries & Markets

Sintra

$204 12.8%

Athens

$310 17.5% 52.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sintra

$196 12.3%

Athens

$262 14.7% 33.5% $66

Eating Out

Sintra

$179 11.2%

Athens

$268 15.1% 49.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Sintra

$125 7.8%

Athens

$160 9% 28.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sintra

$59 3.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 27.8% $16

Getting Around

Sintra

$57 3.6%

Athens

$45 2.5% 20.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Sintra and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sintra pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Sintra vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $310 per month, with Sintra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sintra

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

12:54 12:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

2 h ahead of Sintra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,654

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

Sintra Athens 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sintra
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

Sintra vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sintra wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sintra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Sintra, 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: $977 in Sintra versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sintra – 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 $1,592 per month in Sintra versus $1,775 in Athens – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,592 in Sintra versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sintra but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sintra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sintra delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,592 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sintra hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sintra 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 Sintra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.