Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Berane

For one person, living is cheaper in Berane: $1,290 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Berane
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Berane Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Berane

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Berane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,290 in Berane.

Athens $1,771
Berane $1,290

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,020 in Berane.

Athens $2,736
Berane $2,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $2,750 in Berane.

Athens $3,701
Berane $2,750

Living in Athens is roughly 37% more expensive than in Berane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Berane is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$11.30 €10.05

48.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$36.82 €32.75

85.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$9.09 €8.09

25.74%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$2.49 €2.22

63.05%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$2.49 €2.21

10.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.62 €1.44

-67.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$2.74 €2.43

107.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$3.34 €2.97

70.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.16 €1.03

59.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.96 €0.85

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.79 €2.48

1.08%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$2.99 €2.66

62.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$8.80 €7.83

73.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$7.56 €6.72

37.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$12.66 €11.26

50.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.33 €1.19

66.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.53 €1.36

25.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.62 €1.45

-12.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.88 €2.56

-29.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.94 €0.84

11.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.23 €1.09

-4.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.51 €1.35

-28.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.93 €0.83

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$4.02 €3.57

36.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$4.48 €3.98

127.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.24 €1.11

71.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.73 €1.54

31.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.70 €1.51

-19.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$39.62 €35.24

-25.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$1.11 €0.99

295.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.13 €1.01

-11.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$16.68 €14.84

-0.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.72 €1.53

38.37%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$32.6K €29.0K

-12.94%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$21.2K €18.8K

28.45%

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

$203 €181

$133 €118

52.80%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$12.78 €11.36

109.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$33.79 €30.06

-10.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$46.88 €41.70

14.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$14.56 €12.96

81.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$7.91 €7.03

33.88%

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

$566 €504

$441 €392

28.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$6,894 €6,132

86.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$83.1 €74.0

7.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$33.16 €29.50

22.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$71.9 €63.9

44.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$96.7 €86.0

28.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$638 €568

14.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$458 €407

41.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$1,272 €1,131

4.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$945 €840

23.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$3,397 €3,021

18.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$2,369 €2,107

47.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$562 €500

120.71%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Berane: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Berane

$458 35.5% 29.3% $190

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Berane

$224 17.4% 28.2% $88

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Berane

$184 14.3% 31.9% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Berane

$180 13.9% 31% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Berane

$128 9.9% 20.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Berane

$63 4.9% 16.3% $12

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Berane

$53 4.1% 19.4% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $638 in Berane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 121% 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 $37.00 in Berane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $224 per month, with Berane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇪 Berane

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

04:14 4:14 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

11,073

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Berane 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min 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 Berane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Berane wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Berane the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 121% 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: $729 in Athens versus $638 in Berane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Berane – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $1,290 in Berane – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,290 in Berane versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Berane but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Berane the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Berane delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,290 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Berane hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Berane 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 Berane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.