Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bar

For one person, living is cheaper in Bar: $1,237 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bar
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Bar Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Bar

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,237 in Bar.

Athens $1,775
Bar $1,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,945 in Bar.

Athens $2,721
Bar $1,945

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,653 in Bar.

Athens $3,666
Bar $2,653

Living in Athens is roughly 43% more expensive than in Bar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Bar is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$11.31 €10.06

47.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$47.39 €42.16

43.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.22 €9.09

9.00%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.76 €2.45

46.01%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.15 €1.91

28.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.91 €1.70

-71.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.81 €2.50

104.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.00 €2.67

81.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.17 €1.04

55.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.35 €1.20

2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.57 €2.29

8.95%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.14 €2.80

53.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.28 €7.36

81.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.08 €7.18

31.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$11.46 €10.20

60.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.42 €1.26

54.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.01 €1.79

-5.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.55 €1.38

-11.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.67 €2.38

-21.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.98 €0.87

10.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.05 €0.93

6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.11 €1.88

-46.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.93 €0.82

-5.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$4.44 €3.95

23.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$8.29 €7.37

22.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.94 €0.84

126.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.37 €1.22

64.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.17 €1.93

-37.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$21.90 €19.48

36.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$2.21 €1.96

101.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.14 €1.01

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$13.89 €12.35

21.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.67 €1.48

34.73%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$31.3K €27.9K

-10.51%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$28.9K €25.7K

-2.29%

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

$205 €182

$108 €95.8

89.95%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$16.37 €14.56

62.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$29.15 €25.93

4.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$42.71 €37.99

27.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$14.84 €13.20

74.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$4.47 €3.98

133.11%

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

$569 €506

$310 €275

83.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$6,915 €6,151

82.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$62.2 €55.3

42.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$29.36 €26.12

37.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$96.4 €85.7

8.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$112 €99.5

8.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$625 €556

18.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$434 €386

50.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,131 €1,006

14.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$823 €732

39.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,982 €2,652

34.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,094 €1,862

65.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$965 €858

28.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-10.40%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Bar

$434 35.1% 33.8% $221

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Bar

$235 19% 24.3% $75

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Bar

$190 15.4% 28.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Bar

$153 12.4% 41.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Bar

$135 10.9% 15.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Bar

$52 4.2% 31.4% $24

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Bar

$38 3.1% 14.2% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $625 in Bar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $47.00 in Bar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $235 per month, with Bar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇪 Bar

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

17,727

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Bar 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Bar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bar wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% 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: $741 in Athens versus $625 in Bar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bar – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,237 in Bar – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,237 in Bar versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bar but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Bar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,237 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Bar 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 Bar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.