Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bijeljina

For one person, living is cheaper in Bijeljina: $905 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,806
/mo nomad
Bijeljina
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
$905
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bijeljina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $905 in Bijeljina.

  • Athens $1,806
  • Bijeljina $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,424 in Bijeljina.

  • Athens $2,731
  • Bijeljina $1,424

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,943 in Bijeljina.

  • Athens $3,656
  • Bijeljina $1,943

Living in Athens is roughly 100% more expensive than in Bijeljina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Bijeljina is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Bijeljina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.66 €14.87
$8.65 BAM 15.10
92.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €59.1
$34.77 BAM 60.7
90.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.06 €9.87
$4.45 BAM 7.77
148.54%
Cappuccino
$4.14 €3.69
$1.45 BAM 2.52
185.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 €2.50
$1.69 BAM 2.96
65.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 €0.51
$1.01 BAM 1.77
-43.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.64 €5.03
$1.69 BAM 2.95
233.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.46 €4.87
$2.27 BAM 3.96
140.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Bijeljina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 €1.75
$1.52 BAM 2.66
28.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.21 BAM 2.11
16.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.83 €2.53
$1.71 BAM 2.98
65.50%
Eggs
$5.04 €4.50
$3.04 BAM 5.31
65.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.35 €13.70
$7.42 BAM 12.94
106.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.34 €9.23
$7.75 BAM 13.53
33.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.97 €16.93
$11.47 BAM 20.01
65.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.17 €1.93
$1.57 BAM 2.74
38.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 €1.70
$1.81 BAM 3.15
5.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 €1.23
$1.79 BAM 3.12
-22.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.20 €1.96
$2.59 BAM 4.52
-15.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.10 €0.98
$1.59 BAM 2.77
-30.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 €1.00
$1.40 BAM 2.45
-19.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 €0.99
$1.09 BAM 1.90
0.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 €0.74
$0.60 BAM 1.05
38.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.60 €4.99
$3.72 BAM 6.49
50.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.19 €9.09
$8.54 BAM 14.89
19.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.18 €1.95
$0.88 BAM 1.54
147.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 €2.19
$1.46 BAM 2.54
67.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Bijeljina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.38 €1.23
$2.24 BAM 3.91
-38.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.87 €27.55
$16.86 BAM 29.41
83.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.37 €3.90
$1.40 BAM 2.45
212.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.04 €0.93
$0.59 BAM 1.03
76.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.11 €15.27
$10.26 BAM 17.90
66.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.31 €2.07
$1.41 BAM 2.46
63.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €25.0K
$31.0K BAM 54.0K
-9.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.0K €25.0K
$19.0K BAM 33.1K
47.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Bijeljina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$210 €187
$138 BAM 240
52.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.70 €23.83
$18.44 BAM 32.17
44.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.13 €26.89
$24.10 BAM 42.04
25.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Bijeljina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.6 €48.72
$30.31 BAM 52.9
80.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.03 €23.23
$8.73 BAM 15.23
198.17%
Cinema Ticket
$10.78 €9.62
$4.94 BAM 8.61
118.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Bijeljina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$575 €513
$203 BAM 354
183.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.1K €11.7K
$3,914 BAM 6,829
235.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Bijeljina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.2 €83.1
$56.2 BAM 98.0
65.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.68 €36.30
$26.09 BAM 45.52
55.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.9
$129 BAM 224
-19.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 €115
$120 BAM 209
7.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Bijeljina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 €674
$253 BAM 441
198.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$652 €582
$166 BAM 290
292.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,294 €1,154
$358 BAM 625
261.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,163 €1,038
$286 BAM 498
307.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,008 €3,577
$1,811 BAM 3,159
121.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,452 €3,081
$1,369 BAM 2,388
152.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Bijeljina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,243 €1,110
$739 BAM 1,290
68.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
6
-25.33%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bijeljina: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$652
Bijeljina
$166 74.5% $486
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$315
Bijeljina
$224 28.8% $91
Eating Out
Athens
$269
Bijeljina
$124 53.9% $145
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$267
Bijeljina
$180 32.4% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$165
Bijeljina
$149 9.8% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$76
Bijeljina
$40 47.2% $36
Getting Around
Athens
$46
Bijeljina
$30 34.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $253 in Bijeljina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 68% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $35.00 in Bijeljina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $224 per month, with Bijeljina cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇧🇦 Bijeljina
🕒 Local time
17:11 5:11 PM
16:11 4:11 PM
1 h behind Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
42,278
Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Bijeljina 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Athens
  • Bijeljina

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 Bijeljina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Bijeljina?
Bijeljina wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bijeljina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Bijeljina?
Average pay runs 68% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athens compared to Bijeljina?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $253 in Bijeljina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Bijeljina?
Dining out is cheaper in Bijeljina – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Athens compared to Bijeljina?
All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $905 in Bijeljina – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Athens or in Bijeljina?
At $905 in Bijeljina versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bijeljina but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Bijeljina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Athens or Bijeljina?
Both work as nomad bases, but Bijeljina delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $905 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bijeljina hard to pass up.
How safe is Athens compared to Bijeljina?
Safety-wise, Athens and Bijeljina are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Bijeljina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Athens vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?