Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Arzamas

For one person, living is cheaper in Arzamas: $1,142 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
Learn more

Arzamas Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Arzamas

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 Arzamas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,142 in Arzamas.

Athens $1,779
Arzamas $1,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,785 in Arzamas.

Athens $2,721
Arzamas $1,785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,429 in Arzamas.

Athens $3,663
Arzamas $2,429

Living in Athens is roughly 56% more expensive than in Arzamas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Arzamas is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$11.70 ₽954

43.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$39.60 ₽3,230

66.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$5.97 ₽487

87.77%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.83 ₽231

44.17%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.23 ₽100

125.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.67 ₽54.5

-19.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.00 ₽163

185.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.73 ₽222

129.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.32 ₽108

39.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.79 ₽64.2

81.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.41 ₽115

89.36%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.85 ₽151

167.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$12.63 ₽1,030

19.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.91 ₽482

85.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$12.82 ₽1,046

54.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.97 ₽161

7.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.94 ₽158

2.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.92 ₽157

-30.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.19 ₽260

-32.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.85 ₽68.9

24.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.61 ₽49.81

88.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.22 ₽99.2

-11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.80 ₽65.5

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.12 ₽254

75.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.27 ₽756

8.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.17 ₽95.7

74.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.10 ₽171

13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.61 ₽49.73

121.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$30.35 ₽2,475

0.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.15 ₽175

77.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.31 ₽25.16

232.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$6.47 ₽528

154.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.84 ₽68.6

178.57%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$59.9K ₽4.9M

-53.63%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$36.3K ₽3.0M

-26.69%

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

$202 €180

$144 ₽11.8K

40.35%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$6.20 ₽506

332.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$8.40 ₽685

262.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$33.86 ₽2,762

59.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$26.16 ₽2,133

4.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$6.05 ₽494

72.56%

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

$568 €505

$323 ₽26.3K

75.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$6,246 ₽509.5K

143.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$103 ₽8,414

-12.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$48.23 ₽3,933

-18.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$145 ₽11.9K

-27.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$113 ₽9,205

14.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$308 ₽25.1K

140.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$316 ₽25.7K

105.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$498 ₽40.6K

155.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$579 ₽47.2K

93.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$2,607 ₽212.6K

53.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,510 ₽123.1K

117.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

21.33

-79.18%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Arzamas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Arzamas

$316 27.6% 51.3% $333

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Arzamas

$232 20.3% 26.7% $84

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Arzamas

$169 14.8% 37.9% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Arzamas

$159 13.9% 38.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Arzamas

$184 16.2% 12.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Arzamas

$46 4% 38.7% $29

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Arzamas

$36 3.2% 18.7% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $308 in Arzamas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $40 in Arzamas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $232 per month, with Arzamas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

103,396

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Arzamas 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Arzamas

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 Arzamas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,779 in Athens and $1,142 in Arzamas, so Arzamas is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $1,713 in Arzamas 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 $308 in Arzamas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,142 in Arzamas – Arzamas is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Arzamas gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.