Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zadar and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Zadar: $1,687 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Athens despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,687

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,687 in Zadar versus $1,775 in Athens.

Zadar $1,687
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,572 in Zadar versus $2,721 in Athens.

Zadar $2,572
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,457 in Zadar versus $3,666 in Athens.

Zadar $3,457
Athens $3,666

Living in Zadar costs roughly 5% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zadar 25% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.55 €12.95

$16.69 €14.84

-12.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.3 €69.7

$67.8 €60.3

15.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 €6.83

$11.14 €9.91

-31.15%

Cappuccino

$2.40 €2.13

$4.03 €3.58

-40.45%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$2.77 €2.46

6.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.55 €0.49

298.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.92

$5.74 €5.10

-42.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.04

$5.45 €4.85

-16.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.82 €1.62

-35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.38 €1.23

18.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.80 €2.49

12.14%

Eggs

$3.77 €3.35

$4.83 €4.30

-21.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 €9.61

$15.05 €13.39

-28.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 €8.43

$10.63 €9.45

-10.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 €10.71

$18.43 €16.39

-34.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.20 €1.96

-10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.90 €1.69

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.37 €1.22

57.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.10 €1.87

23.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.08 €0.96

104.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.12 €1.00

17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.12 €1.00

17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.88 €0.79

42.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 €4.98

$5.48 €4.88

2.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.97

$10.13 €9.01

-22.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.13 €1.89

-36.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.25 €2.00

-37.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.36 €1.21

28.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.69 €38.86

$29.89 €26.59

46.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.45 €3.96

-23.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.02 €0.90

117.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.05 €19.61

$16.92 €15.05

30.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.25 €2.00

-20.89%

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

$26.3K €23.4K

$28.0K €24.9K

-6.33%

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

$25.1K €22.3K

$28.2K €25.1K

-11.11%

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

$182 €162

$205 €182

-10.92%

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

$22.01 €19.58

$26.65 €23.71

-17.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.17 €35.73

$30.38 €27.02

32.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.92

$54.5 €48.47

2.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 €15.14

$25.88 €23.02

-34.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$10.42 €9.27

1.54%

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

$240 €214

$569 €506

-57.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,907 €6,144

$12.6K €11.2K

-45.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.6

$88.7 €78.9

-0.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.68 €31.74

$40.46 €35.99

-11.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.7

$105 €93.3

-0.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.5 €69.0

$121 €108

-36.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$904 €804

$741 €659

22.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 €606

$655 €582

4.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 €1,299

$1,300 €1,156

12.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 €1,009

$1,148 €1,021

-1.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,481 €3,985

$4,014 €3,570

11.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,044 €3,597

$3,460 €3,078

16.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,360 €1,210

$1,242 €1,105

9.48%

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 Zadar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zadar

$681 40.4%

Athens

$655 36.9% 4% $27

Groceries & Markets

Zadar

$267 15.8%

Athens

$310 17.5% 16.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zadar

$244 14.5%

Athens

$262 14.7% 7% $17

Eating Out

Zadar

$214 12.7%

Athens

$268 15.1% 25.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Zadar

$138 8.2%

Athens

$160 9% 16.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Zadar

$77 4.6%

Athens

$75 4.2% 2.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Zadar

$65 3.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 31.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $904 in Zadar and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zadar pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78.0 in Zadar vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $310, with Zadar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zadar

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

18:37 6:37 PM

1 h ahead of Zadar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,309

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

Zadar Athens 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zadar
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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

Zadar vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zadar wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zadar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Zadar, 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: $904 in Zadar versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zadar – a meal for two runs $78.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,687 per month in Zadar versus $1,775 in Athens – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,687 in Zadar versus $1,775 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Zadar but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zadar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zadar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,687 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zadar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Zadar 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 Zadar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.