Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Makarska

For one person, living is cheaper in Makarska: $1,586 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Makarska
Learn more

Makarska Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Makarska

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Makarska

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,586 in Makarska.

Athens $1,775
Makarska $1,586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,463 in Makarska.

Athens $2,721
Makarska $2,463

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,339 in Makarska.

Athens $3,666
Makarska $3,339

Living in Athens is roughly 12% more expensive than in Makarska, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Makarska 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$17.45 €15.52

-4.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$79.0 €70.3

-14.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.89 €7.02

41.19%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.34 €2.97

20.66%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$4.00 €3.56

-30.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$3.06 €2.73

-82.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.64 €5.02

1.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.54 €4.04

20.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.13 €1.01

61.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.70 €1.51

-18.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.07 €2.73

-8.79%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.89 €4.35

-1.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$15.33 €13.63

-1.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$9.49 €8.45

12.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$11.73 €10.43

57.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.96 €1.74

12.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.51 €1.35

25.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.10 €1.87

-34.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.67 €2.38

-21.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.22 €1.97

-51.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.01 €1.79

-44.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.53 €1.36

-26.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.63 €1.45

-46.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.55 €4.94

-1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.65 €6.80

32.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.37 €1.22

55.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.49 €1.32

51.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.53 €1.36

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$39.51 €35.14

-24.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.09 €2.75

44.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.43 €1.27

-28.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$12.02 €10.69

40.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.67 €1.49

34.73%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$25.9K €23.1K

8.15%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$24.9K €22.2K

13.23%

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

$205 €182

$177 €158

15.33%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$27.30 €24.28

-2.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$42.91 €38.17

-29.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$46.14 €41.04

18.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$16.43 €14.61

57.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$8.98 €7.99

16.04%

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

$569 €506

$413 €368

37.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$6,923 €6,158

81.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$87.7 €78.0

1.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$45.07 €40.09

-10.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$105 €93.5

-0.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$79.2 €70.4

53.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$692 €616

7.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$516 €459

26.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,197 €1,065

8.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$877 €780

30.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,594 €3,197

11.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$3,232 €2,875

7.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.72

20.43%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Makarska: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Makarska

$516 32.5% 21.1% $138

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Makarska

$291 18.3% 6.3% $20

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Makarska

$269 17% 0.3% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Makarska

$248 15.6% 5.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Makarska

$143 9% 10.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Makarska

$64 4% 14.9% $11

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Makarska

$56 3.5% 24.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $692 in Makarska. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $79.0 in Makarska. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $291, with Makarska cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇭🇷 Makarska

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

12,809

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Makarska 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Makarska

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 Makarska: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makarska wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makarska the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $2,379 in Makarska to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $692 in Makarska. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Makarska – a meal for two runs $79.0 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 $1,586 in Makarska – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,586 in Makarska versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Makarska but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Makarska the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Makarska delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,586 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Makarska hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Makarska 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 Makarska gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.