Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashgabat and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,779 a month against $3,421 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,421

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,421 in Ashgabat versus $1,779 in Athens.

Ashgabat $3,421
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,126 in Ashgabat versus $2,721 in Athens.

Ashgabat $5,126
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,831 in Ashgabat versus $3,663 in Athens.

Ashgabat $6,831
Athens $3,663

Living in Ashgabat is roughly 92% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashgabat 153% above, Athens 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.59 TMT 106

$16.83 €14.99

87.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 TMT 289

$66.0 €58.8

30.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.90 TMT 43.34

$11.21 €9.99

15.08%

Cappuccino

$6.98 TMT 23.46

$4.08 €3.64

71.08%

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

$1.61 TMT 5.42

$2.77 €2.47

-41.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 TMT 3.01

$0.54 €0.48

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 TMT 19.41

$5.70 €5.08

1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.56 TMT 45.55

$6.26 €5.58

116.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.46 TMT 14.99

$1.84 €1.64

142.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 TMT 6.81

$1.43 €1.27

41.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.89 TMT 19.79

$2.67 €2.38

120.60%

Eggs

$6.19 TMT 20.80

$4.95 €4.41

25.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$37.71 TMT 127

$15.09 €13.45

149.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.99 TMT 67.2

$10.99 €9.79

81.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.57 TMT 79.2

$19.77 €17.61

19.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 TMT 17.63

$2.12 €1.89

147.64%

Banana (1kg)

$8.59 TMT 28.88

$1.98 €1.76

333.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.49 TMT 25.16

$1.33 €1.19

463.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 TMT 12.82

$2.16 €1.92

76.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 TMT 7.83

$1.06 €0.94

119.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 TMT 4.80

$1.15 €1.02

24.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 TMT 8.96

$1.08 €0.97

147.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 TMT 3.68

$0.85 €0.75

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.93 TMT 87.1

$5.46 €4.86

374.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$41.76 TMT 140

$10.03 €8.93

316.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 TMT 17.53

$2.04 €1.82

155.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 TMT 9.85

$2.38 €2.12

23.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 TMT 0.41

$1.35 €1.20

-91.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.04 TMT 33.73

$30.52 €27.19

-67.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 TMT 9.98

$3.81 €3.39

-22.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 TMT 3.01

$1.03 €0.92

-12.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.90 TMT 29.89

$16.49 €14.68

-46.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 TMT 1.50

$2.34 €2.09

-80.77%

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

$44.7K TMT 150.1K

$27.8K €24.7K

60.86%

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

$57.9K TMT 194.4K

$26.6K €23.7K

117.50%

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

$571 TMT 1,920

$202 €180

182.52%

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

$56.9 TMT 191

$26.81 €23.88

112.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 TMT 355

$30.49 €27.16

246.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$198 TMT 666

$54.1 €48.17

266.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.91 TMT 154

$27.40 €24.41

67.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.82 TMT 29.64

$10.44 €9.30

-15.52%

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

$23.34 TMT 78.4

$568 €506

-95.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K TMT 91.5K

$15.2K €13.5K

79.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 TMT 186

$90.7 €80.8

-39.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$114 TMT 382

$39.32 €35.03

189.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$365 TMT 1,226

$105 €93.7

246.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$194 TMT 652

$129 €115

50.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 TMT 4,850

$742 €661

94.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 TMT 3,398

$648 €578

55.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 TMT 7,627

$1,271 €1,132

78.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 TMT 6,466

$1,122 €999

71.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,521 TMT 11.8K

$3,999 €3,562

-11.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,844 TMT 9,556

$3,281 €2,923

-13.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$767 TMT 2,576

$1,245 €1,109

-38.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

4.44

113.96%

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

Last update for Ashgabat: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashgabat

$1K 29.6%

Athens

$648 36.4% 35.9% $363

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashgabat

$734 21.5%

Athens

$260 14.6% 64.6% $474

Groceries & Markets

Ashgabat

$673 19.7%

Athens

$316 17.8% 53% $357

Eating Out

Ashgabat

$441 12.9%

Athens

$272 15.3% 38.5% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Ashgabat

$328 9.6%

Athens

$164 9.2% 50% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Ashgabat

$216 6.3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 65.3% $141

Getting Around

Ashgabat

$18 0.5%

Athens

$45 2.5% 150% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,443 in Ashgabat and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 62% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $86 in Ashgabat vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $673 vs $316 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

3 h behind Ashgabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

909,000 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.78 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashgabat Athens 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ashgabat
Athens

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Ashgabat vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,421 in Ashgabat and $1,779 in Athens, so Athens is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Ashgabat. 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: $1,443 in Ashgabat versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23 in Ashgabat versus $568 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 113% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,779 in Athens versus $3,421 in Ashgabat, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Ashgabat. The gap between the two cities makes Athens 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, Ashgabat and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.