Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Ohrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Ohrid: $968 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Ohrid
Learn more

Ohrid Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Ohrid

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Ohrid

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $968 in Ohrid.

Athens $1,775
Ohrid $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,539 in Ohrid.

Athens $2,721
Ohrid $1,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,110 in Ohrid.

Athens $3,666
Ohrid $2,110

Living in Athens is roughly 83% more expensive than in Ohrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Ohrid is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$7.19 MKD 392

132.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$36.12 MKD 1,970

87.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.27 MKD 397

53.23%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.62 MKD 143

53.82%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.93 MKD 160

-5.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.84 MKD 100

-70.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.71 MKD 202

54.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.47 MKD 244

21.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.27 MKD 69.5

43.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.72 MKD 39.05

91.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.74 MKD 94.8

60.92%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.26 MKD 123

113.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.24 MKD 450

82.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$8.53 MKD 465

24.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.71 MKD 803

25.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.06 MKD 57.7

107.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.26 MKD 68.5

50.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.50 MKD 81.8

-8.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.99 MKD 108

5.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.10 MKD 60.3

-1.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.36 MKD 74.1

-17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.04 MKD 56.6

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.79 MKD 42.94

11.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.34 MKD 182

64.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.57 MKD 304

81.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.09 MKD 59.5

95.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.54 MKD 84.3

46.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.06 MKD 57.9

28.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$23.66 MKD 1,291

26.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.11 MKD 60.5

300.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.94 MKD 51.4

8.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$8.81 MKD 481

92.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.50 MKD 81.6

50.00%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$30.4K MKD 1.7M

-7.66%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$30.8K MKD 1.7M

-8.29%

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

$205 €182

$127 MKD 6,949

60.62%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$17.88 MKD 975

49.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$26.68 MKD 1,456

13.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$33.72 MKD 1,839

61.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$18.05 MKD 985

43.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$6.18 MKD 337

68.61%

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

$569 €506

$269 MKD 14.7K

111.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$3,382 MKD 184.5K

272.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$95.3 MKD 5,196

-6.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$53.3 MKD 2,909

-24.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$102 MKD 5,544

3.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$135 MKD 7,348

-9.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$286 MKD 15.6K

159.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$170 MKD 9,269

285.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$540 MKD 29.4K

140.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$361 MKD 19.7K

217.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,038 MKD 111.2K

96.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,334 MKD 72.8K

159.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$613 MKD 33.4K

102.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

7.3

-38.63%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ohrid: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Ohrid

$170 17.6% 74% $485

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Ohrid

$215 22.3% 30.6% $95

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Ohrid

$157 16.3% 41.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Ohrid

$172 17.8% 34.3% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Ohrid

$173 17.9% 8.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Ohrid

$46 4.8% 38.8% $29

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Ohrid

$34 3.5% 24.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $286 in Ohrid. 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 $36.00 in Ohrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $215 per month, with Ohrid cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇰 Ohrid

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

38,940

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Ohrid 430 km

From you

Athens
Ohrid

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 Ohrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ohrid wins on cost – living expenses run 83% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ohrid 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 $286 in Ohrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ohrid – a meal for two runs $36.00 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 $968 in Ohrid – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $968 in Ohrid versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ohrid but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Ohrid the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ohrid delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $968 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ohrid hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Ohrid 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 Ohrid gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.