Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lipljan

For one person, living is cheaper in Lipljan: $756 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Lipljan
Learn more

Lipljan Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Lipljan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lipljan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $756 in Lipljan.

Athens $1,806
Lipljan $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,116 in Lipljan.

Athens $2,731
Lipljan $1,116

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,476 in Lipljan.

Athens $3,656
Lipljan $1,476

Living in Athens is roughly 139% more expensive than in Lipljan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Lipljan is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.85

$3.44 €3.07

384.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$13.40 €11.94

394.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.86

$3.39 €3.02

226.25%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$1.17 €1.04

253.85%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.12 €1.00

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.09 €0.97

-47.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$2.22 €1.98

154.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.82 €2.52

93.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.26 €1.13

55.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.65 €0.58

116.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.29 €1.15

119.38%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.49

$1.33 €1.19

278.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.68

$8.03 €7.16

91.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.22

$6.60 €5.88

56.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.92

$6.30 €5.62

201.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.58 €1.41

37.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.39 €1.24

37.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.61 €1.44

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.76 €1.57

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.92 €0.82

19.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.82 €0.73

37.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.80 €0.71

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.48 €0.43

72.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$3.46 €3.09

61.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.08

$5.58 €4.97

82.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.95 €0.85

129.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.21 €1.08

102.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.16 €1.03

18.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$2.22 €1.98

96.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.54 €0.48

92.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.26

$3.46 €3.08

394.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.43 €1.28

61.54%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$22.9K €20.4K

22.34%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$26.1K €23.3K

7.19%

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

$210 €187

$106 €94.6

97.77%

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

$26.70 €23.80

$4.51 €4.02

492.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.86

$23.80 €21.22

26.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.68

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.21

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.61

$4.50 €4.01

139.56%

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

$575 €513

$210 €187

173.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$2,975 €2,653

341.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$41.92 €37.38

122.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.27

$31.28 €27.89

30.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$64.8 €57.7

60.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$83.0 €74.0

54.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$397 €354

90.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$273 €243

139.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,153

$749 €668

72.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,037

$487 €434

138.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,574

$1,506 €1,343

166.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,078

$1,116 €995

209.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,109

$457 €407

172.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.85

57.19%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lipljan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Lipljan

$273 35.4% 58.2% $380

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Lipljan

$169 21.9% 46.4% $146

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Lipljan

$77 10% 71.2% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Lipljan

$134 17.4% 49.6% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Lipljan

$99 12.9% 39.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Lipljan

$9 * 1.2% 88.2% $67

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Lipljan

$9.6 * 1.2% 79.2% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $397 in Lipljan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 172% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $13.00 in Lipljan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $169 per month, with Lipljan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇽🇰 Lipljan

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

38,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Lipljan 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Lipljan

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 Lipljan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lipljan wins on cost – living expenses run 139% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lipljan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 172% 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: $756 in Athens versus $397 in Lipljan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in Athens versus $210 in Lipljan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lipljan – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Lipljan versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lipljan but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Lipljan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lipljan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $756 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lipljan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Lipljan 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 Lipljan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.