Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Kruje

For one person, living is cheaper in Kruje: $1,100 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Kruje
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Kruje Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Kruje

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Kruje

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,100 in Kruje.

Athens $1,775
Kruje $1,100

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,644 in Kruje.

Athens $2,721
Kruje $1,644

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,187 in Kruje.

Athens $3,666
Kruje $2,187

Living in Athens is roughly 61% more expensive than in Kruje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Kruje is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.03 ALL 808

66.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$38.84 ALL 3,128

74.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.45 ALL 600

49.53%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.91 ALL 154

110.99%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.83 ALL 147

51.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.65 ALL 52.0

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.42 ALL 195

137.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.30 ALL 266

65.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.97 ALL 158

-7.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.91 ALL 73.4

51.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.10 ALL 169

33.33%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.61 ALL 211

85.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.12 ALL 815

48.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.45 ALL 681

25.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$13.80 ALL 1,111

33.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.91 ALL 154

15.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.31 ALL 186

-17.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.70 ALL 137

-19.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.65 ALL 133

27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.00 ALL 80.8

8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.24 ALL 99.6

-9.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.18 ALL 95.0

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.80 ALL 64.2

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$4.23 ALL 341

29.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.82 ALL 630

29.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.60 ALL 129

33.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.81 ALL 145

24.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.54 ALL 43.65

151.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$18.84 ALL 1,517

58.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.70 ALL 298

20.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$3.57 ALL 288

-71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$18.68 ALL 1,504

-9.42%

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

$33.6K ALL 2.7M

-16.45%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$24.4K ALL 2.0M

15.88%

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

$205 €182

$60.7 ALL 4,885

237.29%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$16.34 ALL 1,316

63.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$17.16 ALL 1,382

77.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$51.5 ALL 4,149

5.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.78 ALL 707

18.68%

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

$569 €506

$99.2 ALL 7,991

473.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$8,203 ALL 660.6K

53.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$48.18 ALL 3,880

84.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$48.28 ALL 3,888

-16.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$99.3 ALL 7,993

5.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$113 ALL 9,110

7.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$460 ALL 37.0K

61.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$354 ALL 28.5K

84.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$611 ALL 49.2K

112.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$460 ALL 37.0K

149.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,638 ALL 131.9K

145.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,108 ALL 89.2K

212.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$660 ALL 53.1K

88.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-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 Kruje: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Kruje

$354 32.2% 45.9% $300

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Kruje

$247 22.5% 20.4% $63

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Kruje

$154 14% 42.5% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Kruje

$94 8.6% 64% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Kruje

$139 12.6% 13.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Kruje

$69 6.3% 8.3% $6.2

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Kruje

$43 3.9% 5.1% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $460 in Kruje. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 88% 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 $39.00 in Kruje for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $247 per month, with Kruje cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇦🇱 Kruje

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

59,814

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Kruje 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Kruje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kruje wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kruje the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 88% 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 $460 in Kruje. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kruje – a meal for two runs $39.00 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 $1,100 in Kruje – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,100 in Kruje versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kruje but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Kruje the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kruje delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,100 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kruje hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Kruje 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 Kruje gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.