Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Alga

For one person, living is cheaper in Alga: $870 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alga
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Alga Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Alga

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Alga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Alga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $870 in Alga.

Athens $1,779
Alga $870

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,421 in Alga.

Athens $2,721
Alga $1,421

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,971 in Alga.

Athens $3,663
Alga $1,971

Living in Athens is roughly 105% more expensive than in Alga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Alga is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$9.95 ₸4,484

69.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$33.62 ₸15.1K

96.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$7.73 ₸3,483

45.02%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.39 ₸1,079

70.71%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.11 ₸501

149.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.55 ₸249

-1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$1.30 ₸587

338.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.12 ₸957

195.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.38 ₸622

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.48 ₸215

197.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.51 ₸682

76.82%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.69 ₸763

192.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$10.44 ₸4,702

44.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.66 ₸2,550

94.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$8.86 ₸3,989

123.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.49 ₸670

42.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.14 ₸965

-7.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.38 ₸1,073

-44.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.10 ₸946

2.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.66 ₸297

60.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.52 ₸235

121.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.15 ₸518

-6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.99 ₸445

-14.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.38 ₸1,071

129.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$7.89 ₸3,552

27.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.25 ₸563

63.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.04 ₸918

16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.21 ₸94.1

542.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$16.90 ₸7,613

80.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.10 ₸495

246.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.71 ₸320

45.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$5.87 ₸2,645

180.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.66 ₸299

254.55%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$27.9K ₸12.6M

-0.39%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$30.2K ₸13.6M

-12.01%

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

$202 €180

$66.1 ₸29.8K

205.75%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$10.36 ₸4,666

158.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$15.58 ₸7,019

95.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$41.84 ₸18.8K

29.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.08 ₸2,286

105.51%

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

$568 €506

$146 ₸65.9K

288.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$4,425 ₸2.0M

243.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$56.6 ₸25.5K

60.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$44.86 ₸20.2K

-12.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$94.2 ₸42.4K

11.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$87.5 ₸39.4K

47.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$339 ₸152.7K

118.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$224 ₸100.8K

189.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$677 ₸304.8K

87.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$496 ₸223.5K

126.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,081 ₸487.0K

269.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$850 ₸382.8K

286.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

19.25

-76.94%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Alga: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Alga

$224 25.7% 65.5% $425

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Alga

$204 23.4% 35.7% $113

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Alga

$149 17.1% 45.1% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Alga

$92 10.6% 64.5% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Alga

$127 14.6% 22.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Alga

$52 6% 30.6% $23

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Alga

$22 2.6% 50.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $339 in Alga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $34 in Alga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $204 per month, with Alga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇰🇿 Alga

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

04:11 4:11 AM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Alga 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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

Athens vs Alga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alga wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Alga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $1,305 in Alga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $339 in Alga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $870 in Alga – Alga is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alga runs roughly 45% less than in Athens. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Alga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Alga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.