Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Karaganda

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $927 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
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Karaganda Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Karaganda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $927 in Karaganda.

Athens $1,779
Karaganda $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,497 in Karaganda.

Athens $2,721
Karaganda $1,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,066 in Karaganda.

Athens $3,663
Karaganda $2,066

Living in Athens is roughly 92% more expensive than in Karaganda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Karaganda is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$9.89 ₸4,455

70.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$35.32 ₸15.9K

86.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$5.41 ₸2,438

107.21%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.87 ₸844

118.18%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.86 ₸387

222.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.61 ₸273

-11.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$1.32 ₸594

331.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.90 ₸1,307

115.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.28 ₸578

43.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.49 ₸220

191.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.31 ₸590

103.82%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.79 ₸805

176.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$13.39 ₸6,033

12.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.55 ₸2,501

98.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$11.06 ₸4,980

78.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.51 ₸681

40.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.91 ₸863

3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.87 ₸1,293

-53.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.17 ₸979

-0.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.61 ₸276

73.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.58 ₸262

98.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.02 ₸460

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.70 ₸315

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.24 ₸1,010

143.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$8.40 ₸3,781

19.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.35 ₸608

51.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.11 ₸949

12.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.21 ₸94.5

542.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$15.38 ₸6,930

98.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.25 ₸562

204.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.24 ₸558

-16.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$3.37 ₸1,517

389.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.56 ₸254

317.86%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$21.8K ₸9.8M

27.13%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$32.4K ₸14.6M

-17.80%

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

$202 €180

$72.2 ₸32.5K

179.97%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$10.09 ₸4,543

165.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$12.06 ₸5,431

152.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$44.75 ₸20.2K

20.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$18.55 ₸8,355

47.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.21 ₸2,347

100.38%

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

$568 €506

$132 ₸59.5K

329.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$60.1 ₸27.1K

50.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$59.1 ₸26.6K

-33.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$78.0 ₸35.2K

34.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$86.3 ₸38.9K

49.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$406 ₸182.7K

82.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$274 ₸123.6K

136.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$715 ₸321.8K

77.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$544 ₸245.1K

106.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,054 ₸474.6K

279.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$698 ₸314.2K

370.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$569 ₸256.4K

118.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

19.25

-76.94%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Karaganda: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Karaganda

$274 29.6% 57.7% $374

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Karaganda

$216 23.3% 31.8% $100

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Karaganda

$136 14.7% 49.9% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Karaganda

$94 10.2% 63.6% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Karaganda

$128 13.8% 22.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Karaganda

$55 6% 26.4% $20

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Karaganda

$24 2.6% 47.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $406 in Karaganda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $35 in Karaganda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $216 per month, with Karaganda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

03:35 3:35 AM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

520,486

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Karaganda 4,090 km ≈ 6 h 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 Karaganda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karaganda wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Karaganda the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 2.2 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 $406 in Karaganda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karaganda – a meal for two runs $35 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 $927 in Karaganda – Karaganda is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $927 in Karaganda versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karaganda but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Karaganda the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Karaganda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.