Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,371 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,371

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,371 in Sliema versus $1,806 in Athens.

Sliema $2,371
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,762 in Sliema versus $2,731 in Athens.

Sliema $3,762
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,154 in Sliema versus $3,656 in Athens.

Sliema $5,154
Athens $3,656

Living in Sliema is roughly 31% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sliema 77% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 €17.75

$16.66 €14.87

19.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.2 €76.9

$66.2 €59.1

30.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.89

$11.06 €9.87

20.43%

Cappuccino

$2.80 €2.49

$4.14 €3.69

-32.37%

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

$3.08 €2.75

$2.80 €2.50

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.57 €0.51

287.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.41 €3.94

$5.64 €5.03

-21.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.63

$5.46 €4.87

-5.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.96 €1.75

-30.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.41 €1.26

-7.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 €3.78

$2.83 €2.53

49.47%

Eggs

$4.13 €3.69

$5.04 €4.50

-18.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 €7.34

$15.35 €13.70

-46.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.24

$10.34 €9.23

0.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.61 €16.61

$18.97 €16.93

-1.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 €3.84

$2.17 €1.93

98.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$1.91 €1.70

43.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 €3.30

$1.38 €1.23

168.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$2.20 €1.96

51.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.10 €0.98

122.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.13 €1.00

81.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.10 €0.99

113.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.83 €0.74

62.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.18

$5.60 €4.99

23.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 €7.28

$10.19 €9.09

-20.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.18 €1.95

-19.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.45 €2.19

0.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.38 €1.23

60.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$134 €119

$30.87 €27.55

332.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 €4.94

$4.37 €3.90

26.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.04 €0.93

118.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.34 €24.40

$17.11 €15.27

59.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.31 €2.07

-36.80%

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

$37.8K €33.8K

$28.0K €25.0K

35.24%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$28.0K €25.0K

38.21%

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

$102 €91.4

$210 €187

-51.16%

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

$25.23 €22.52

$26.70 €23.83

-5.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.57 €38.89

$30.13 €26.89

44.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.1

$54.6 €48.72

39.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.19 €14.45

$26.03 €23.23

-37.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 €9.09

$10.78 €9.62

-5.47%

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

$371 €331

$575 €513

-35.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,768

$13.1K €11.7K

-16.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €77.9

$93.2 €83.1

-6.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 €36.84

$40.68 €36.30

1.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €87.7

$104 €92.9

-5.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 €70.0

$128 €115

-38.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 €1,562

$756 €674

131.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 €1,074

$652 €582

84.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,967 €2,648

$1,294 €1,154

129.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,383 €2,127

$1,163 €1,038

104.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,389 €4,809

$4,008 €3,577

34.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,516 €3,138

$3,452 €3,081

1.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,794 €1,601

$1,243 €1,110

44.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

4.48

-35.27%

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

Last update for Sliema: October 6, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 50.5%

Athens

$652 36.5% 45.8% $552

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$329 13.8%

Athens

$315 17.6% 4.3% $14

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 12%

Athens

$269 15% 6.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$171 7.2%

Athens

$267 14.9% 55.7% $95

Getting Around

Sliema

$159 6.7%

Athens

$46 2.6% 71.2% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.8%

Athens

$165 9.2% 20% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4.1%

Athens

$76 4.3% 21.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,750 in Sliema and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliema pays 44% 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: $86.0 in Sliema vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

1 h ahead of Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

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

Sliema Athens 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sliema
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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

Sliema vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Sliema. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Sliema, 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: $1,750 in Sliema versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $86.0 in Sliema. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,371 per month in Sliema versus $1,806 in Athens – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,371 in Sliema, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sliema 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.