Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Elista

For one person, living is cheaper in Elista: $950 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Elista
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Elista Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Elista

🇷🇺 Russia

$950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Elista

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $950 in Elista.

Athens $1,779
Elista $950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,565 in Elista.

Athens $2,721
Elista $1,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,180 in Elista.

Athens $3,663
Elista $2,180

Living in Athens is roughly 87% more expensive than in Elista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Elista is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$6.67 ₽544

152.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$48.36 ₽3,945

36.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.61 ₽539

69.59%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.84 ₽232

43.66%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.02 ₽83.2

171.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.59 ₽48.24

-8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.18 ₽96.6

383.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.84 ₽150

240.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.06 ₽86.6

73.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.56 ₽45.67

155.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.17 ₽95.3

128.21%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.48 ₽121

234.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.72 ₽629

95.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.81 ₽392

128.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$11.89 ₽969

66.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.28 ₽104

65.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.50 ₽122

32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.51 ₽123

-11.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.61 ₽213

-17.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.78 ₽64.0

35.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.47 ₽37.97

144.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.39 ₽31.61

176.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.67 ₽54.2

26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.91 ₽237

87.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.41 ₽767

6.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.09 ₽88.8

87.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.92 ₽156

23.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.53 ₽43.01

154.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$26.79 ₽2,185

13.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.45 ₽200

55.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.37 ₽30.49

178.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$3.62 ₽295

355.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.87 ₽71.3

168.97%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$27.0K ₽2.2M

2.78%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$32.0K ₽2.6M

-16.87%

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

$202 €180

$87.4 ₽7,130

131.32%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$6.56 ₽535

308.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$8.08 ₽659

277.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$36.35 ₽2,965

48.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$24.57 ₽2,004

11.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$4.24 ₽346

146.23%

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

$568 €505

$336 ₽27.4K

68.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$6,432 ₽524.6K

136.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$89.6 ₽7,308

1.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$54.9 ₽4,478

-28.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$56.0 ₽4,565

87.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$115 ₽9,362

12.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$498 ₽40.6K

48.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$320 ₽26.1K

102.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$847 ₽69.1K

50.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$658 ₽53.7K

70.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$2,314 ₽188.8K

72.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,320 ₽107.6K

148.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$365 ₽29.8K

241.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

21.33

-79.18%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Elista: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Elista

$320 33.7% 50.6% $328

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Elista

$185 19.5% 41.5% $131

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Elista

$123 13% 54.6% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Elista

$102 10.7% 60.7% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Elista

$142 14.9% 13.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Elista

$45 4.7% 40.2% $30

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Elista

$33 3.5% 26% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $498 in Elista. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $48 in Elista for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $185 per month, with Elista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇺 Elista

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

103,219

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Elista 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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 Elista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elista wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Elista the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 3.4 times higher, 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: $742 in Athens versus $498 in Elista. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Elista – a meal for two runs $48 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $950 in Elista – Elista is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Elista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.