Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Ashgabat

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.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,421

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Ashgabat

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

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

Athens $1,779
Ashgabat $3,421

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

Athens $2,721
Ashgabat $5,126

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

Athens $3,663
Ashgabat $6,831

Living in Athens costs roughly 48% less than in Ashgabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$31.59 TMT 106

-46.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$86.0 TMT 289

-23.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$12.90 TMT 43.34

-13.10%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$6.98 TMT 23.46

-41.55%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.61 TMT 5.42

72.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.90 TMT 3.01

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$5.78 TMT 19.41

-1.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$13.56 TMT 45.55

-53.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$4.46 TMT 14.99

-58.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.03 TMT 6.81

-29.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$5.89 TMT 19.79

-54.67%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$6.19 TMT 20.80

-20.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$37.71 TMT 127

-59.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$19.99 TMT 67.2

-45.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$23.57 TMT 79.2

-16.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$5.25 TMT 17.63

-59.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$8.59 TMT 28.88

-76.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$7.49 TMT 25.16

-82.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.82 TMT 12.82

-43.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$2.33 TMT 7.83

-54.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.43 TMT 4.80

-19.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$2.67 TMT 8.96

-59.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$1.10 TMT 3.68

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$25.93 TMT 87.1

-78.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$41.76 TMT 140

-75.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$5.22 TMT 17.53

-60.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.93 TMT 9.85

-18.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.12 TMT 0.41

1025.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$10.04 TMT 33.73

203.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.97 TMT 9.98

28.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.90 TMT 3.01

14.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$8.90 TMT 29.89

85.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.45 TMT 1.50

420.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$44.7K TMT 150.1K

-37.83%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$57.9K TMT 194.4K

-54.02%

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

$202 €180

$571 TMT 1,920

-64.60%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$56.9 TMT 191

-52.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$106 TMT 355

-71.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$198 TMT 666

-72.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$45.91 TMT 154

-40.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$8.82 TMT 29.64

18.37%

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

$568 €506

$23.34 TMT 78.4

2331.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$27.2K TMT 91.5K

-44.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$55.3 TMT 186

63.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$114 TMT 382

-65.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$365 TMT 1,226

-71.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$194 TMT 652

-33.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$1,443 TMT 4,850

-48.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$1,011 TMT 3,398

-35.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$2,270 TMT 7,627

-44.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$1,925 TMT 6,466

-41.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$3,521 TMT 11.8K

13.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$2,844 TMT 9,556

15.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$767 TMT 2,576

62.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

9.5

-53.26%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ashgabat: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Ashgabat

$1K 29.6% 56% $363

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Ashgabat

$673 19.7% 113% $357

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Ashgabat

$441 12.9% 62.5% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Ashgabat

$734 21.5% 183% $474

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Ashgabat

$328 9.6% 99.9% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Ashgabat

$216 6.3% 188% $141

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Ashgabat

$18 0.5% 59.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $1,443 in Ashgabat. 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: $66 in Athens vs $86 in Ashgabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $673 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🕒 Local time

21:43 9:43 PM

00:43 12:43 AM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

909,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, 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).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

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

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Athens
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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 Ashgabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 62% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $1,443 in Ashgabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $23 in Ashgabat. 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, Athens and Ashgabat are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.