Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Korce

For one person, living is cheaper in Korce: $1,001 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,775
/mo nomad
Korce
🇦🇱 Albania
$1,001
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Korce

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,001 in Korce.

  • Athens $1,775
  • Korce $1,001

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,483 in Korce.

  • Athens $2,721
  • Korce $1,483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,965 in Korce.

  • Athens $3,666
  • Korce $1,965

Living in Athens is roughly 77% more expensive than in Korce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Korce is 26% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Korce
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.69 €14.84
$6.07 ALL 489
174.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.8 €60.3
$37.94 ALL 3,055
78.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.14 €9.91
$5.99 ALL 482
85.98%
Cappuccino
$4.03 €3.58
$1.92 ALL 155
109.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 €2.46
$1.84 ALL 148
50.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 €0.49
$0.68 ALL 55.0
-19.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.74 €5.10
$2.49 ALL 201
130.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.45 €4.85
$2.41 ALL 194
126.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Korce
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.93 ALL 155
-5.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 €1.23
$1.00 ALL 80.2
38.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.80 €2.49
$2.08 ALL 168
34.62%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.30
$2.57 ALL 207
87.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.05 €13.39
$10.26 ALL 826
46.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.63 €9.45
$8.69 ALL 700
22.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.43 €16.39
$13.92 ALL 1,121
32.40%
Apples (1kg)
$2.20 €1.96
$1.22 ALL 98.2
80.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 €1.69
$2.31 ALL 186
-17.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.28 ALL 103
7.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.64 ALL 132
28.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 €0.96
$1.05 ALL 84.4
2.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.00 ALL 80.3
12.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.05 ALL 84.2
6.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.81 ALL 65.4
8.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.48 €4.88
$4.38 ALL 353
25.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.13 €9.01
$8.03 ALL 647
26.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 €1.89
$1.80 ALL 145
18.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 €2.00
$1.84 ALL 148
22.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Korce
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.36 €1.21
$0.64 ALL 51.3
112.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.89 €26.59
$18.41 ALL 1,483
62.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.45 €3.96
$3.72 ALL 300
19.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 €0.90
$3.74 ALL 301
-72.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.92 €15.05
$18.53 ALL 1,492
-8.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.25 €2.00
$2.24 ALL 180
0.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €24.9K
$33.5K ALL 2.7M
-16.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K €25.1K
$24.2K ALL 1.9M
16.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Korce
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 €182
$59.9 ALL 4,826
241.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.65 €23.71
$18.16 ALL 1,462
46.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.38 €27.02
$15.08 ALL 1,214
101.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Korce
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.5 €48.47
$33.08 ALL 2,664
64.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.88 €23.02
$18.66 ALL 1,503
38.69%
Cinema Ticket
$10.42 €9.27
$9.92 ALL 799
5.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Korce
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$569 €506
$224 ALL 18.0K
154.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.6K €11.2K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Korce
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.7 €78.9
$44.80 ALL 3,608
97.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.46 €35.99
$53.9 ALL 4,336
-24.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.3
$104 ALL 8,376
0.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$144 ALL 11.6K
-15.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Korce
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$741 €659
$474 ALL 38.2K
56.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$655 €582
$294 ALL 23.7K
122.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,300 €1,156
$496 ALL 39.9K
162.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,148 €1,021
$305 ALL 24.6K
276.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,014 €3,570
$1,377 ALL 110.9K
191.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,460 €3,078
$1,120 ALL 90.2K
209.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Korce
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,242 €1,105
$670 ALL 53.9K
85.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
5
-10.40%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Korce: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$655
Korce
$294 55.1% $361
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$310
Korce
$245 21.1% $66
Eating Out
Athens
$268
Korce
$117 56.4% $151
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$262
Korce
$93 64.4% $168
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$160
Korce
$156 2.5% $4
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$75
Korce
$53 29.7% $22
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Korce
$43 3.3% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $474 in Korce. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 86% 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 $38.00 in Korce for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $245 per month, with Korce cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇦🇱 Korce
🕒 Local time
07:10 7:10 AM
06:10 6:10 AM
1 h behind Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
51,152
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Korce 390 km
From you
  • Athens
  • Korce

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 Korce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Korce?
Korce wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Korce the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Korce?
Average pay runs 86% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athens compared to Korce?
Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $474 in Korce. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Korce?
Dining out is cheaper in Korce – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Athens compared to Korce?
All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,001 in Korce – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Athens or in Korce?
At $1,001 in Korce versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Korce but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Korce the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Athens or Korce?
Both work as nomad bases, but Korce delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,001 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Korce hard to pass up.
How safe is Athens compared to Korce?
Safety-wise, Athens and Korce are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Korce gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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