Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Makhachkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,119 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
Learn more

Makhachkala Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,119

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Makhachkala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,119 in Makhachkala.

Athens $1,779
Makhachkala $1,119

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,771 in Makhachkala.

Athens $2,721
Makhachkala $1,771

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,422 in Makhachkala.

Athens $3,663
Makhachkala $2,422

Living in Athens is roughly 59% more expensive than in Makhachkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Makhachkala is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$10.92 ₽891

54.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$46.03 ₽3,754

43.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.55 ₽534

71.15%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.85 ₽232

43.16%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.23 ₽100

125.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.58 ₽47.65

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.88 ₽154

203.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.53 ₽288

77.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.17 ₽95.3

57.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.81 ₽65.8

76.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.40 ₽114

90.71%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.58 ₽129

213.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$12.17 ₽993

23.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.56 ₽453

97.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$11.26 ₽918

75.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.85 ₽151

14.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.79 ₽146

10.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.73 ₽141

-23.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.00 ₽245

-28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.80 ₽65.4

32.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.59 ₽48.26

94.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.57 ₽128

-31.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.73 ₽59.6

16.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.92 ₽238

86.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$8.50 ₽694

18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.09 ₽88.6

87.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.37 ₽193

0.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.58 ₽47.00

132.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$29.54 ₽2,409

3.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.35 ₽191

62.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.39 ₽31.83

164.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$6.37 ₽519

158.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.88 ₽71.8

165.91%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$46.0K ₽3.7M

-39.61%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$37.0K ₽3.0M

-28.04%

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

$202 €180

$125 ₽10.2K

62.01%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$5.77 ₽470

364.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$9.34 ₽762

226.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$36.68 ₽2,992

47.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$27.65 ₽2,256

-0.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$6.50 ₽530

60.62%

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

$568 €505

$352 ₽28.7K

61.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$6,172 ₽503.4K

145.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$92.0 ₽7,501

-1.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$49.71 ₽4,054

-20.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$148 ₽12.0K

-28.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$132 ₽10.7K

-1.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$492 ₽40.1K

50.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$322 ₽26.2K

101.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$917 ₽74.8K

38.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$585 ₽47.7K

91.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$2,252 ₽183.7K

77.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,507 ₽122.9K

117.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$638 ₽52.1K

95.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

21.33

-79.18%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Makhachkala

$322 28.8% 50.4% $327

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Makhachkala

$218 19.4% 31.2% $99

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Makhachkala

$165 14.7% 39.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Makhachkala

$140 12.5% 46.1% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Makhachkala

$189 16.9% 15.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Makhachkala

$50 4.4% 33.7% $25

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Makhachkala

$36 3.2% 19.5% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $492 in Makhachkala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 95% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $46 in Makhachkala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $218 per month, with Makhachkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

14:55 2:55 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

604,266

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Makhachkala 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Makhachkala

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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makhachkala wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Makhachkala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 95% 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: $742 in Athens versus $492 in Makhachkala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Makhachkala – a meal for two runs $46 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,119 in Makhachkala – Makhachkala is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,119 in Makhachkala versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Makhachkala but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Makhachkala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Makhachkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.