Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Gjilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gjilan: $774 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Gjilan
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Gjilan Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Gjilan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Gjilan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $774 in Gjilan.

Athens $1,806
Gjilan $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,140 in Gjilan.

Athens $2,731
Gjilan $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,507 in Gjilan.

Athens $3,656
Gjilan $1,507

Living in Athens is roughly 133% more expensive than in Gjilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Gjilan is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$4.13 €3.69

303.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$22.81 €20.35

190.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$5.77 €5.15

91.68%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$1.36 €1.21

204.41%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.09 €0.97

156.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.88 €0.78

-35.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$1.66 €1.48

239.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$1.32 €1.18

313.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.25 €1.11

56.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.46 €0.41

206.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.29 €1.15

119.38%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$1.86 €1.66

170.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$7.81 €6.97

96.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$6.67 €5.95

55.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$12.67 €11.31

49.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.57 €1.40

38.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.58 €1.41

20.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.69 €1.51

-18.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.65 €1.47

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.96 €0.85

14.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.86 €0.77

31.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.84 €0.75

30.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.49 €0.44

69.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$3.41 €3.04

64.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$5.69 €5.07

79.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.00 €0.89

118.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.26 €1.13

94.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.58 €0.52

137.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$2.19 €1.96

99.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.59 €0.52

76.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$3.30 €2.95

418.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.43 €1.28

61.54%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$22.2K €19.8K

25.99%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$25.6K €22.9K

9.25%

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

$210 €187

$107 €95.2

96.73%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$11.27 €10.06

136.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$23.50 €20.97

28.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$19.87 €17.73

174.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$4.57 €4.08

135.89%

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

$575 €513

$166 €148

246.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$1,466 €1,308

795.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$42.41 €37.85

119.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$31.57 €28.17

28.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$63.2 €56.4

64.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$79.9 €71.3

60.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$278 €248

172.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$228 €204

185.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$479 €428

169.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$360 €321

223.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$911 €813

339.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$700 €624

393.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$441 €394

181.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.5

-0.44%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Gjilan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Gjilan

$228 29.3% 65% $424

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Gjilan

$190 24.3% 39.8% $125

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Gjilan

$85 11% 68.2% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Gjilan

$141 18.2% 47% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Gjilan

$98 12.5% 40.7% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Gjilan

$29 3.7% 61.9% $47

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Gjilan

$7.5 * 1% 83.8% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $278 in Gjilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 182% 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 $23.00 in Gjilan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $190 per month, with Gjilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇽🇰 Gjilan

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

10:22 10:22 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

54,239

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Gjilan 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min 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 Gjilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gjilan wins on cost – living expenses run 133% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gjilan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 182% 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 $278 in Gjilan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in Athens versus $166 in Gjilan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gjilan – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $774 in Gjilan versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gjilan but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Gjilan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gjilan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $774 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gjilan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Gjilan 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 Gjilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.