(Classical Greece and Medieval Europe) Mercenary earnings compared to average people?

by SatanicMuffn

I have a source telling me that by 200 BC, mercenaries were earning 9 obols per day (here). How does this compare with the average Greek citizen? How does a Medieval European mercenary's earnings compare to that of the average citizens during their time?

white_light-king

In Classical Athens, the average citizen is not the same as the average person. For one thing women and slaves had little cash income. Here is a list of people (mostly citizens) of Athens who were paid a cash income and a rough description of general prices: http://www.tulane.edu/~august/H310/handouts/Finances.htm#Wages%20in%20Athens

As for the 9 obols, a drachma is 6 obols, so it's about 1.5 drachaa, a roughly comparable wage to other laborers and craftsmen.