Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sparta and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Sparta: $1,351 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Sparta
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Sparta Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Sparta

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,351

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Sparta versus $1,759 in Athens.

Sparta $1,351
Athens $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,993 in Sparta versus $2,696 in Athens.

Sparta $1,993
Athens $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,636 in Sparta versus $3,632 in Athens.

Sparta $2,636
Athens $3,632

Living in Sparta costs roughly 23% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.87 €8.87

$17.05 €15.32

-42.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.23 €42.43

$65.8 €59.2

-28.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 €7.13

$10.96 €9.84

-27.65%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €3.00

$4.10 €3.69

-18.54%

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

$2.21 €1.99

$2.83 €2.54

-21.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$0.59 €0.53

-1.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 €3.99

$5.62 €5.05

-20.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.97

$5.67 €5.09

-22.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.49

$1.90 €1.70

-13.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.46 €1.31

-6.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.71 €2.43

-6.27%

Eggs

$5.14 €4.62

$5.04 €4.53

1.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.34 €11.08

$15.08 €13.55

-18.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 €9.22

$10.28 €9.23

-0.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.84 €14.23

$19.40 €17.43

-18.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €2.00

$2.12 €1.91

5.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.92

$1.91 €1.72

11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.41 €1.26

17.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.81

$2.13 €1.91

-5.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.04 €0.94

5.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.13 €1.02

3.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 €0.77

$1.13 €1.01

-24.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.81 €0.73

41.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 €4.51

$5.52 €4.96

-9.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 €6.43

$9.99 €8.98

-28.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.63

$2.04 €1.83

-11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.04

$2.28 €2.05

48.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.31 €1.18

3.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 €47.68

$30.67 €27.56

73.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 €3.94

$4.37 €3.93

0.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.03 €0.92

5.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.50 €11.23

$17.05 €15.32

-26.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.34 €2.11

-7.26%

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

$24.5K €22.0K

$28.3K €25.4K

-13.15%

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

$24.2K €21.7K

$26.8K €24.0K

-9.63%

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

$169 €152

$200 €180

-15.49%

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

$22.61 €20.31

$25.17 €22.62

-10.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.11 €24.36

$29.65 €26.64

-8.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.29

$50.4 €45.32

-0.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.41 €32.71

$25.94 €23.30

40.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.38 €8.42

$10.52 €9.46

-10.84%

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

$233 €209

$576 €518

-59.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,794 €2,511

$12.9K €11.6K

-78.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 €74.0

$89.7 €80.6

-8.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.30 €32.61

$39.57 €35.55

-8.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 €72.4

$105 €94.7

-23.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 €81.2

$124 €111

-27.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 €444

$740 €665

-33.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 €349

$643 €578

-39.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 €654

$1,305 €1,172

-44.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 €453

$1,121 €1,007

-55.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,483 €2,231

$4,011 €3,604

-38.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,930 €1,734

$3,284 €2,951

-41.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$937 €842

$1,224 €1,099

-23.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.38

4.48

-2.23%

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

Last update for Sparta: October 25, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sparta

$389 28.8%

Athens

$643 36.5% 65.3% $254

Groceries & Markets

Sparta

$290 21.5%

Athens

$312 17.7% 7.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sparta

$219 16.2%

Athens

$255 14.5% 16.5% $36

Eating Out

Sparta

$185 13.7%

Athens

$272 15.4% 46.8% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Sparta

$130 9.7%

Athens

$161 9.2% 23.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Sparta

$69 5.1%

Athens

$71 4.1% 3.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Sparta

$68 5.1%

Athens

$45 2.6% 33.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Sparta and $740 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 31% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Sparta vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $312 per month, with Sparta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Sparta

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

Same time as Sparta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,239

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Sparta vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Sparta. 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: $494 in Sparta versus $740 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sparta – a meal for two runs $47 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,351 per month in Sparta versus $1,759 in Athens – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,351 in Sparta versus $1,759 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sparta but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sparta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sparta 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sparta wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.