Sabbatical Budget for 3 Weeks in Greece

Sights like the Acropolis and Santorini caldera are as universally recognizable as Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower. But where a trip to London or Paris might cost you $100 a day, Athens comes in much lower. Greece can be one of Europe’s most affordable big-ticket destinations. This budget for 3 weeks in Greece covers 2 weeks in Athens and 1 week on Santorini.

Note: My trip took place in 2016. I’ve made notes where I can about known price changes as of summer 2025.

Transportation $241.77

Bus to airport $2.73
Flight to Athens $86.66
Metro from airport $11.23
Taxi from Metro to Airbnb $4.49
12 Metro tickets $18.62
Ferry to Santorini $44.91
Bus from port to Fira $2.58
Bus from Oia to Fira $2.02
Bus from Fira to Perissa $2.69
Bus from Perissa to Fira $2.69
Bus from Fira to port $2.58
Ferry to Piraeus $44.87
Taxi to Athens airport $15.70

Note: In summer 2025, ferries are nearly twice as much as I spent, but the good news is budget flights in Europe are even more affordable. Local buses around Santorini island are about the same.

Accommodations $416.66

12 nights in a private room on Airbnb $255
8 nights in an 8-bed dorm at Fira Backpackers $161.66

Note: Even in the slightly gritty neighborhood of Exarchia where I stayed, Airbnbs are now exorbitantly expensive. Decent hostel dorms in Athens start around $30 per night, which is still more than twice what I paid. But this is still relatively lower than many major European cities. The exact dorm I stayed in on Santorini is currently $25 per night, so only a tiny bit more than I spent.

Dining $265.72

5 days groceries at Asian Mini Market $16.37
1 week groceries at Skalvenitis $27.83
4 days groceries at Marinopoulos $9.87
1 week groceries at Fira supermarket $38.86
1 breakfast on ferry $4.38
1 breakfast at Fira newsstand $1.68
1 lunch at Spezie $11.23
1 lunch at Makriyianni $2.58
1 lunch at Cafe Metropol $10.06
1 lunch on ferry $5.28
1 lunch at Taverna Syrtaki $11.23
1 lunch at Skiza $11.79
1 lunch at Meat Corner $5.05
1 lunch at Atlantis Island Restaurant $13.57
2 lunches at Yogi Gyro $5.38
1 dinner at Obelix $3.03
1 dinner at Rastoni $24.73
1 dinner at Volkan $12.35
1 dinner at Elia $15.14
1 dinner on ferry $6.62
1 frozen yogurt at Snoyo $4.02
6 drinks at Fira Backpackers $5.83
1 gelato at Cremalatte $3.37
2 gelatos at Zotos $5.49
2 gelatos at Yes Cafe $5.49
1 frozen yogurt at LouYo $4.49

Note: Gyros are still a very affordable meal. Dining and grocery costs may be a bit higher overall, but as far as I can tell, they haven’t radically skyrocketed.

Entertainment $101.39

Acropolis ticket $22.46
Acropolis Museum ticket $5.62
National Archaeological Museum $11.18
Alternative Athens street art tour $33.53
Fira cable car $5.61
Nea Kamini volcano hiking tour with Dakoutros Bros. $20.19
Nea Kaimini National Park entry $2.80

Note: Unfortunately, there is no longer a combined ticket in Athens for the Acropolis and other ruins, which was a fantastic deal. The Acropolis Museum also finally realized it was worth SO much more than the $5 steal I got. It is completely still worth going; you’ll just have to budget way more for these attractions. The Alternative Athens street art tour is now about $50. Day cruise tours around Santorini start around $30.

Miscellaneous $40.49

restock contact solution at pharmacy $7.85
7 postcards on Postagram $6.93
gifts/souvenirs from Athens street vendor $5.59
replace lost sarong $16.76
gifts/souvenirs from Fira souvenir stand $3.36

Total: $1084.34
Average Spent Per Day: $51.63

In summer 2025, this itinerary would probably cost more like $1400, averaging $66 per day, and it would not include any private rooms.

How I Saved

• Using the Postagram app
  This is such a minor thing, but as it goes beyond the typical stay in hostels and cook for yourself budget tips, I feel I should mention it. I send at least one postcard home from every country I visit. I paid only 99 cents a pop by using the Postagram app to turn my own photos into a postcard on my phone. These are now more like $2 each, but still it’s so easy and way, way cheaper than buying a postcard at a souvenir stand and paying international postage separately.
• Sharing a cab
  I was severely disappointed to dock at Piraeus around midnight and find out I couldn’t take the Metro all the way to the airport at that time. Luckily, a French couple was in the same bind and agreed to split a cab with me. Instead of paying 40 euro plus a tip, I paid about 15. Wherever you guys are, bless you!
• Scheduling nicer dinners
  It may seem counter-intuitive, but making plans to splurge once in a while can actually help your budget. On Santorini, I picked one night I wanted to sit down at a fancier restaurant and watch the sunset over the caldera with a glass of wine in hand. Knowing I had that splurge night to look forward to kept me from impulsive splurges and made all the other nights of cheap eats easy to get through. (Though let’s be honest, you don’t need to twist my arm that hard to down a gyro!)
• Taking a break from hostels
  Peak season dorms in Athens run at least 30 euro a night. I got lucky with a nice private room in Exarchia on Airbnb for just under 20 euro a night. I usually only look for Airbnb when I have a longer stay in a city, like a month. But I felt like having private space and knew I couldn’t afford that in a hostel. Taking a look at a different source served me really well. Though Airbnb is nowhere near as affordable in Athens today, the real lesson here is to check multiple sources for places to stay instead of only booking from a single search engine.
• Hiking
  Personally, a lot of the attraction to Santorini for me was the long walks among its one-of-a-kind volcanic landscape. But it was also a money saver. Instead of paying for lots of cable car or donkey rides in Fira, if I wanted to go to the Old Port, I’d take the 30 minute walk down. I also hiked the 3-4 hour Fira Trail to Oia, which as an added bonus gave me tons of time with literally NO ONE else around. Blue domes, sea, and sun without standing in line for that photo op. Bus rides aren’t much on Santorini, but your own two feet are free, and those couple of euro can become a gyro. And you already know how I feel about gyros.