Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lushnje

For one person, living is cheaper in Lushnje: $1,195 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Lushnje
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Lushnje Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Lushnje

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,195

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lushnje

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,195 in Lushnje.

Athens $1,775
Lushnje $1,195

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,844 in Lushnje.

Athens $2,721
Lushnje $1,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,493 in Lushnje.

Athens $3,666
Lushnje $2,493

Living in Athens is roughly 48% more expensive than in Lushnje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Lushnje is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.05 ALL 809

66.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$54.4 ALL 4,383

24.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$10.90 ALL 878

2.20%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.23 ALL 180

80.72%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.40 ALL 193

15.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.23 ALL 99.4

-55.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.51 ALL 283

63.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.08 ALL 328

33.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.20 ALL 177

-17.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.13 ALL 91.3

22.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.34 ALL 189

19.66%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.80 ALL 306

27.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$12.52 ALL 1,009

20.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$9.00 ALL 725

18.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$16.76 ALL 1,350

9.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.94 ALL 156

13.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.42 ALL 195

-21.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.21 ALL 178

-38.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.88 ALL 151

11.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.02 ALL 81.8

5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.29 ALL 104

-13.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.43 ALL 115

-21.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.77 ALL 62.3

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$4.74 ALL 382

15.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$10.50 ALL 846

-3.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.55 ALL 125

37.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.09 ALL 169

7.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.51 ALL 40.97

166.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$17.48 ALL 1,408

71.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.63 ALL 292

22.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$3.69 ALL 297

-72.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$18.04 ALL 1,452

-6.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.31 ALL 186

-2.60%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$33.7K ALL 2.7M

-16.91%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$35.5K ALL 2.9M

-20.52%

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

$205 €182

$98.5 ALL 7,929

107.80%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$18.19 ALL 1,465

46.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$19.49 ALL 1,570

55.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$58.0 ALL 4,674

-6.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$10.02 ALL 807

3.99%

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

$569 €506

$347 ALL 27.9K

64.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$8,195 ALL 659.9K

53.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$49.07 ALL 3,952

80.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$47.39 ALL 3,817

-14.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$116 ALL 9,341

-9.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$113 ALL 9,065

7.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$475 ALL 38.2K

56.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$326 ALL 26.3K

100.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$706 ALL 56.9K

84.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$473 ALL 38.1K

142.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,643 ALL 132.3K

144.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,053 ALL 84.8K

228.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$611 ALL 49.2K

103.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.39

-16.88%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lushnje: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Lushnje

$326 27.3% 50.1% $328

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Lushnje

$287 24% 7.6% $24

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Lushnje

$180 15.1% 32.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Lushnje

$136 11.4% 48% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Lushnje

$146 12.2% 8.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Lushnje

$78 6.5% 3.7% $2.8

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Lushnje

$42 3.5% 7.4% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $475 in Lushnje. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 103% 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 $54.0 in Lushnje for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $287 per month, with Lushnje cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇦🇱 Lushnje

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

31,105

💱 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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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 Lushnje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 103% 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 $475 in Lushnje. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lushnje – a meal for two runs $54.0 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 $1,195 in Lushnje – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,195 in Lushnje versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lushnje but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Lushnje the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lushnje delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,195 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lushnje hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Lushnje 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 Lushnje 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.