Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Nis

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,033 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Nis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,033 in Nis.

Athens $1,806
Nis $1,033

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,512 in Nis.

Athens $2,731
Nis $1,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,991 in Nis.

Athens $3,656
Nis $1,991

Living in Athens is roughly 75% more expensive than in Nis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Nis is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.85

$8.78 RSD 917

89.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$33.92 RSD 3,541

95.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.86

$9.57 RSD 999

15.57%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$1.97 RSD 206

110.15%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.31 RSD 242

21.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.74 RSD 182

-67.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.61 RSD 377

56.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$4.49 RSD 469

21.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.14 RSD 120

71.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.70 RSD 73.2

101.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.76 RSD 184

60.80%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.49

$2.35 RSD 246

114.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.68

$7.65 RSD 799

100.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.22

$5.72 RSD 597

80.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.92

$10.59 RSD 1,105

79.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.11 RSD 116

95.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.68 RSD 175

13.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.50 RSD 157

-8.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.17 RSD 226

1.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.78 RSD 81.8

41.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.72 RSD 74.7

56.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.64 RSD 66.6

71.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.58 RSD 60.6

43.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$4.42 RSD 461

26.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.08

$5.78 RSD 604

76.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.72 RSD 75.3

202.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.29 RSD 135

89.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$1.84 RSD 192

137.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.66 RSD 68.8

57.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.26

$8.29 RSD 866

106.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.89 RSD 198

22.22%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-8.99%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$24.0K RSD 2.5M

16.83%

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

$210 €187

$160 RSD 16.8K

30.71%

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

$26.70 €23.80

$19.03 RSD 1,987

40.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.86

$22.20 RSD 2,318

35.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.68

$30.54 RSD 3,188

78.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.21

$15.65 RSD 1,634

66.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.61

$4.68 RSD 489

130.34%

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

$575 €513

$252 RSD 26.4K

127.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$4,989 RSD 520.9K

163.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$88.4 RSD 9,234

5.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.27

$37.42 RSD 3,906

8.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$99.3 RSD 10.4K

4.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$112 RSD 11.7K

14.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$398 RSD 41.5K

90.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$277 RSD 28.9K

135.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,153

$591 RSD 61.7K

118.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,037

$397 RSD 41.5K

192.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,574

$2,531 RSD 264.2K

58.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,078

$1,884 RSD 196.7K

83.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,109

$901 RSD 94.0K

38.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.12

-12.50%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nis: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Nis

$277 27.1% 57.5% $375

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Nis

$182 17.8% 42.3% $133

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Nis

$166 16.2% 38.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Nis

$202 19.7% 24.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Nis

$152 14.8% 8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Nis

$40 3.9% 47.6% $36

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Nis

$5.1 * 0.5% 88.8% $41

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 $398 in Nis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 38% 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 $34.00 in Nis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $182 per month, with Nis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇸 Nis

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

78,470

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Nis 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Nis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nis wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% 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 $398 in Nis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in Athens versus $252 in Nis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nis – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,033 in Nis versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nis but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Nis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nis delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,033 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nis hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Nis 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 Nis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.