Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Gostivar

For one person, living is cheaper in Gostivar: $835 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Gostivar
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Gostivar Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Gostivar

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Gostivar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $835 in Gostivar.

Athens $1,775
Gostivar $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,262 in Gostivar.

Athens $2,721
Gostivar $1,262

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,689 in Gostivar.

Athens $3,666
Gostivar $1,689

Living in Athens is roughly 112% more expensive than in Gostivar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Gostivar is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$6.25 MKD 341

167.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$26.92 MKD 1,468

151.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.81 MKD 317

91.74%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.39 MKD 75.9

189.93%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.32 MKD 72.2

109.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.07 MKD 58.1

-48.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.31 MKD 71.5

338.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$1.77 MKD 96.3

207.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.29 MKD 70.2

41.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.75 MKD 40.84

84.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.42 MKD 77.3

97.18%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.46 MKD 134

96.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$6.49 MKD 354

131.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.59 MKD 305

90.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.35 MKD 783

28.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.43 MKD 78.1

53.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.39 MKD 75.8

36.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.35 MKD 73.8

1.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.78 MKD 97.1

17.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.83 MKD 45.18

30.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.70 MKD 38.06

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.64 MKD 34.74

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.57 MKD 30.92

54.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$2.76 MKD 150

98.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.63 MKD 253

118.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.88 MKD 47.86

142.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.41 MKD 77.1

59.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.74 MKD 40.29

83.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$21.14 MKD 1,153

41.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.75 MKD 40.97

493.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.34 MKD 18.33

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$7.75 MKD 423

118.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.44 MKD 78.4

56.25%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$31.9K MKD 1.7M

-12.00%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$27.1K MKD 1.5M

4.20%

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

$205 €182

$129 MKD 7,046

58.41%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$10.75 MKD 586

147.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$18.87 MKD 1,029

61.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$21.76 MKD 1,187

150.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$18.73 MKD 1,022

38.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.10 MKD 387

46.76%

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

$569 €506

$362 MKD 19.7K

57.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,736 MKD 312.9K

119.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$36.91 MKD 2,014

140.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$36.52 MKD 1,992

10.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$102 MKD 5,589

2.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$115 MKD 6,252

5.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$275 MKD 15.0K

169.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$194 MKD 10.6K

237.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$504 MKD 27.5K

158.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$298 MKD 16.3K

284.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,525 MKD 83.2K

163.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,133 MKD 61.8K

205.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$863 MKD 47.1K

43.94%

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 Gostivar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Gostivar

$194 23.2% 70.4% $461

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Gostivar

$186 22.3% 40.1% $125

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Gostivar

$104 12.4% 61.3% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Gostivar

$159 19% 39.3% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Gostivar

$131 15.7% 18.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Gostivar

$36 4.3% 52.3% $39

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Gostivar

$27 3.2% 40.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $275 in Gostivar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 44% 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 $27.00 in Gostivar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $186 per month, with Gostivar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇰 Gostivar

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

08:52 8:52 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

36,000

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Gostivar 490 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 Gostivar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gostivar wins on cost – living expenses run 112% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gostivar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 44% 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 $275 in Gostivar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gostivar – a meal for two runs $27.00 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 $835 in Gostivar – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $835 in Gostivar versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gostivar but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Gostivar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gostivar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $835 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gostivar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Gostivar 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 Gostivar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.