Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Budva

For one person, living is cheaper in Budva: $1,604 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Budva

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,604 in Budva.

Athens $1,806
Budva $1,604

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,553 in Budva.

Athens $2,731
Budva $2,553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,501 in Budva.

Athens $3,656
Budva $3,501

Living in Athens is roughly 13% more expensive than in Budva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Budva 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$14.84 €13.24

12.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$68.4 €61.0

-3.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$13.49 €12.04

-18.01%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$3.42 €3.05

21.05%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.25 €2.01

24.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.54 €1.37

-62.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$4.80 €4.28

17.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$4.30 €3.84

26.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.21 €1.08

61.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.09 €0.98

29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.21 €1.97

28.05%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$2.99 €2.67

68.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$8.74 €7.80

75.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$9.23 €8.24

12.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$12.51 €11.16

51.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.28 €1.14

69.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.67 €1.49

14.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.48 €1.32

-6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.83 €2.53

-22.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.94 €0.84

17.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.06 €0.95

6.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.64 €1.47

-32.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.91 €0.81

-8.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$4.36 €3.89

28.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$7.68 €6.85

32.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.12 €1.00

94.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.69 €1.50

44.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.84 €2.54

-51.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$40.03 €35.73

-22.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$1.13 €1.01

286.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.15 €1.02

-9.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$16.90 €15.08

1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.72 €1.53

34.30%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$29.6K €26.4K

-5.31%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$26.2K €23.3K

7.09%

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

$210 €187

$163 €145

28.89%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$14.79 €13.20

80.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$33.37 €29.78

-9.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$58.8 €52.5

-7.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$21.72 €19.39

19.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$6.19 €5.52

74.15%

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

$575 €513

$395 €352

45.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$9,585 €8,553

36.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$104 €92.7

-10.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$44.73 €39.91

-9.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$97.7 €87.2

6.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$177 €158

-27.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$823 €735

-8.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$592 €528

10.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,484 €1,324

-12.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,168 €1,042

-0.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$4,175 €3,726

-4.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$2,981 €2,660

15.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,031 €920

20.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.95

-24.71%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budva: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Budva

$592 36.8% 9.2% $60

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Budva

$237 14.7% 24.7% $78

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Budva

$248 15.4% 7.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Budva

$211 13.1% 20.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Budva

$190 11.8% 15.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Budva

$71 4.4% 6.6% $5

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Budva

$58 3.6% 26.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $823 in Budva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 21% 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 $68.0 in Budva. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $237, with Budva cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇪 Budva

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

13,338

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Budva 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 Budva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budva wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Budva the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $756 in Athens versus $823 in Budva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Budva – a meal for two runs $68.0 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 $1,604 in Budva – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,604 in Budva versus $1,806 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Budva but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Budva the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Budva delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,604 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Budva hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Budva 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 Budva gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.