Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Ballsh

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballsh: $1,214 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
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Ballsh Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Ballsh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,214 in Ballsh.

Athens $1,806
Ballsh $1,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,852 in Ballsh.

Athens $2,731
Ballsh $1,852

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $2,490 in Ballsh.

Athens $3,656
Ballsh $2,490

Living in Athens is roughly 49% more expensive than in Ballsh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Ballsh is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$9.99 ALL 813

66.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$55.1 ALL 4,482

20.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$7.22 ALL 587

53.19%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.33 ALL 189

77.68%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.42 ALL 116

97.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.85 ALL 69.1

-32.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.56 ALL 290

58.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$4.14 ALL 337

31.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.30 ALL 187

-14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.18 ALL 96.4

19.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.43 ALL 198

16.46%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.79 ALL 308

32.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$12.96 ALL 1,054

18.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$9.41 ALL 766

9.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$16.85 ALL 1,371

12.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.93 ALL 157

12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.42 ALL 197

-21.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.16 ALL 176

-36.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.84 ALL 149

19.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.02 ALL 82.9

7.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.31 ALL 107

-13.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.44 ALL 117

-23.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.75 ALL 61.2

10.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$4.72 ALL 384

18.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$10.52 ALL 856

-3.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.59 ALL 129

37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.01 ALL 164

21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.47 ALL 38.18

193.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$19.41 ALL 1,579

59.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$3.81 ALL 310

14.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$3.80 ALL 309

-72.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$18.85 ALL 1,534

-9.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.28 ALL 185

1.32%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$34.1K ALL 2.8M

-17.92%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$36.2K ALL 2.9M

-22.54%

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

$210 €187

$99.2 ALL 8,074

111.36%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$18.74 ALL 1,524

42.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$20.45 ALL 1,664

47.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$55.9 ALL 4,549

-2.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$10.13 ALL 824

6.42%

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

$575 €513

$351 ALL 28.6K

63.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$8,230 ALL 669.6K

59.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$50.0 ALL 4,069

86.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$48.21 ALL 3,922

-15.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$120 ALL 9,755

-13.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$113 ALL 9,212

13.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$473 ALL 38.5K

59.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$331 ALL 26.9K

97.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$721 ALL 58.7K

79.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$469 ALL 38.2K

147.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$1,863 ALL 151.6K

115.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$1,217 ALL 99.0K

183.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.39

-16.88%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ballsh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Ballsh

$331 27.7% 49.3% $321

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Ballsh

$292 24.4% 7.3% $23

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Ballsh

$165 13.8% 38.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Ballsh

$138 11.6% 48.1% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Ballsh

$149 12.5% 9.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Ballsh

$76 6.4% 0% $0

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Ballsh

$44 3.7% 4% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $473 in Ballsh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $55.0 in Ballsh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $292 per month, with Ballsh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Athens Ballsh 450 km

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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 Ballsh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballsh wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ballsh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,709 in Athens and $1,821 in Ballsh 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: $756 in Athens versus $473 in Ballsh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ballsh – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,214 in Ballsh – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,214 in Ballsh versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ballsh but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Ballsh the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ballsh delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,214 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ballsh hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Ballsh are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ballsh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.