Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lezhe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lezhe: $1,011 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Lezhe
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Lezhe Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Lezhe

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lezhe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,011 in Lezhe.

Athens $1,775
Lezhe $1,011

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,537 in Lezhe.

Athens $2,721
Lezhe $1,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,063 in Lezhe.

Athens $3,666
Lezhe $2,063

Living in Athens is roughly 76% more expensive than in Lezhe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Lezhe is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$5.39 ALL 434

209.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$37.19 ALL 2,995

82.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$3.64 ALL 293

206.04%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.02 ALL 82.4

295.10%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.50 ALL 121

84.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.64 ALL 51.3

-14.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.49 ALL 120

285.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.43 ALL 195

124.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.90 ALL 153

-4.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.99 ALL 79.6

39.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.02 ALL 163

38.61%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.66 ALL 214

81.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.15 ALL 817

48.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.60 ALL 692

23.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.03 ALL 1,130

31.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.91 ALL 154

15.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.23 ALL 179

-14.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.62 ALL 130

-15.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.59 ALL 128

32.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.08 ALL 87.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.28 ALL 103

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.18 ALL 94.8

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.83 ALL 67.0

6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$4.31 ALL 347

27.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.79 ALL 627

30.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.72 ALL 138

23.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.85 ALL 149

21.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.49 ALL 39.41

177.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$18.93 ALL 1,524

57.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.73 ALL 301

19.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$3.82 ALL 308

-73.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$17.97 ALL 1,447

-5.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.25 ALL 182

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$33.2K ALL 2.7M

-15.62%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$24.8K ALL 2.0M

14.05%

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

$205 €182

$60.0 ALL 4,833

240.89%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$16.37 ALL 1,318

62.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$16.98 ALL 1,367

78.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$55.3 ALL 4,456

-1.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.77 ALL 706

18.81%

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

$569 €506

$180 ALL 14.5K

216.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$49.81 ALL 4,011

78.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$55.5 ALL 4,468

-27.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$96.3 ALL 7,752

8.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$146 ALL 11.8K

-16.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$482 ALL 38.9K

53.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$308 ALL 24.8K

112.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$709 ALL 57.1K

83.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$429 ALL 34.6K

167.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,694 ALL 136.4K

136.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,133 ALL 91.2K

205.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$609 ALL 49.1K

103.84%

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 Lezhe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Lezhe

$308 30.5% 52.9% $346

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Lezhe

$249 24.6% 19.8% $62

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Lezhe

$87 8.6% 67.5% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Lezhe

$93 9.2% 64.3% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Lezhe

$156 15.5% 2.2% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Lezhe

$73 7.2% 3.3% $2.5

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Lezhe

$44 4.3% 2.6% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $482 in Lezhe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 104% 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 $37.00 in Lezhe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $249 per month, with Lezhe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇦🇱 Lezhe

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

65,633

💱 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

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Athens Lezhe 550 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 Lezhe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lezhe wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lezhe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 104% 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 $482 in Lezhe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lezhe – a meal for two runs $37.00 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 $1,011 in Lezhe – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,011 in Lezhe versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lezhe but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Lezhe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lezhe delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,011 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lezhe hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Lezhe 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 Lezhe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.