Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Monica vs. Athens Cost of Living Summary
Santa Monica is 76.4% more expensive than Athens.
- Restaurants
- pay 74.3% more in Santa Monica
- Groceries
- pay 73.9% more in Santa Monica
- Transportation
- pay 23.2% more in Santa Monica
- Housing
- pay 2.9 times more in Santa Monica
- Childcare
- pay 2.2 times more in Santa Monica
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 58.4% more in Santa Monica
- Clothing
- pay 8.2% less in Santa Monica
Santa Monica vs. Athens Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Monica instead of Athens, you would:
pay 74.3% more for restaurants
Athens | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.52 €15.38 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.51 €9.23 | $12.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.48 €2.17 | $2.83 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.62 €0.55 | $2.00 | |
Athens vs. Santa Monica - Cost of restaurants
pay 73.9% more for groceries
Athens | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.39 €1.22 | $4.41 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.54 €6.62 | $6.67 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.20 €6.32 | $4.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.70 €4.13 | $5.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.85 €4.26 | $6.33 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.03 €0.90 | $2.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.97 €0.85 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.71 €0.62 | $1.84 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.07 €0.94 | $2.53 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.67 €0.59 | $1.38 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.57 €0.50 | $1.22 | |
Athens vs. Santa Monica - Cost of groceries
pay 23.2% more for transportation
Athens | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $7.94 €6.97 | $4.74 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $35.04 €30.76 | $67.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $29,198.27 €25,636.14 | $32,727.50 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $14.02 €12.31 | $18.01 | |
Athens vs. Santa Monica - Cost of transportation
pay 2.9 times more for housing
Athens | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $34.45 €30.25 | $69.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $685.67 €602.02 | $3,175.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $609.10 €534.79 | $2,533.33 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $165.77 €145.55 | $155.53 | |
Athens vs. Santa Monica - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
Athens | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $566.82 €497.67 | $1,762.50 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $11,581.98 €10,169.00 | $15,000.00 | |
Athens vs. Santa Monica - Cost of childcare
pay 58.4% more for entertainment and sports
Athens | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.84 €5.13 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.12 €3.62 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $5.84 €5.13 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $56.30 €49.43 | $90.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $10.51 €9.23 | $18.00 | |
Athens vs. Santa Monica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.2% less for clothing
Athens | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $101.47 €89.09 | $61.25 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $47.68 €41.86 | $44.15 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $105.26 €92.42 | $100.09 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $125.94 €110.58 | $149.85 | |
Athens vs. Santa Monica - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Athens vs. Santa Monica
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in Greece vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Greece and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Santa Monica or Athens. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.