Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Gevgelija

For one person, living is cheaper in Gevgelija: $782 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Gevgelija
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Gevgelija Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Gevgelija

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Gevgelija

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $782 in Gevgelija.

Athens $1,775
Gevgelija $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,226 in Gevgelija.

Athens $2,721
Gevgelija $1,226

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,670 in Gevgelija.

Athens $3,666
Gevgelija $1,670

Living in Athens is roughly 127% more expensive than in Gevgelija, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Gevgelija is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$7.12 MKD 388

134.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$31.15 MKD 1,699

117.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.28 MKD 288

110.98%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.33 MKD 72.3

203.01%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.94 MKD 51.3

194.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.69 MKD 37.73

-20.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.17 MKD 63.6

390.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.02 MKD 165

80.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.23 MKD 66.9

47.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.65 MKD 35.19

112.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.72 MKD 39.18

288.89%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.14 MKD 117

125.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$7.06 MKD 385

113.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.53 MKD 302

92.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$11.01 MKD 601

67.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.11 MKD 60.5

98.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.11 MKD 60.6

71.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.36 MKD 74.1

0.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.86 MKD 101

12.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.52 MKD 28.44

107.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.38 MKD 20.57

194.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.35 MKD 19.00

220.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.53 MKD 28.87

66.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$2.40 MKD 131

128.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$3.70 MKD 202

173.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.06 MKD 58.0

100.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.43 MKD 78.0

57.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.74 MKD 40.45

83.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$20.23 MKD 1,104

47.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.11 MKD 60.7

300.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.62 MKD 33.56

64.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$5.56 MKD 303

204.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.57 MKD 85.6

43.31%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.1K MKD 1.9M

-20.17%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$27.1K MKD 1.5M

4.36%

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

$205 €182

$92.4 MKD 5,038

121.55%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$18.24 MKD 995

46.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$19.08 MKD 1,041

59.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$23.96 MKD 1,307

127.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$16.12 MKD 879

60.55%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$5.37 MKD 293

94.04%

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

$569 €506

$109 MKD 5,949

421.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,751 MKD 313.7K

118.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$82.5 MKD 4,498

7.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$36.31 MKD 1,980

11.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$54.4 MKD 2,967

92.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$113 MKD 6,149

7.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$245 MKD 13.4K

202.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$190 MKD 10.3K

245.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$426 MKD 23.2K

205.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$330 MKD 18.0K

247.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,725 MKD 94.1K

132.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,125 MKD 61.3K

207.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$579 MKD 31.6K

114.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.23

5.91%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Gevgelija: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Gevgelija

$190 24.3% 71% $465

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Gevgelija

$165 21.1% 47% $146

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Gevgelija

$107 13.7% 60.1% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Gevgelija

$130 16.6% 50.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Gevgelija

$129 16.5% 19.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Gevgelija

$35 4.4% 53.9% $41

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Gevgelija

$27 3.5% 39% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $245 in Gevgelija. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 115% 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 $31.00 in Gevgelija for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $165 per month, with Gevgelija cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇰 Gevgelija

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

01:52 1:52 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

20,664

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Gevgelija 370 km

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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 Gevgelija: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gevgelija wins on cost – living expenses run 127% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gevgelija the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 115% 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 $245 in Gevgelija. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gevgelija – a meal for two runs $31.00 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 $782 in Gevgelija – a 127% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $782 in Gevgelija versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gevgelija but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Gevgelija the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gevgelija delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $782 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gevgelija hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Gevgelija 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 Gevgelija gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.