Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Penza

For one person, living is cheaper in Penza: $811 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Penza

🇷🇺 Russia

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Penza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $811 in Penza.

Athens $1,779
Penza $811

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,261 in Penza.

Athens $2,721
Penza $1,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,711 in Penza.

Athens $3,663
Penza $1,711

Living in Athens is roughly 119% more expensive than in Penza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Penza is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$8.72 ₽712

93.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$30.27 ₽2,472

118.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$5.55 ₽453

101.98%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.62 ₽296

12.71%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.90 ₽73.2

207.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.76 ₽62.1

-28.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$3.49 ₽285

63.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.49 ₽203

151.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.08 ₽87.8

70.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.47 ₽38.41

204.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.50 ₽122

230.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$13.70 ₽1,119

10.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.23 ₽345

159.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.83 ₽67.9

2.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.65 ₽216

106.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.04 ₽738

10.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.03 ₽84.2

98.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.49 ₽203

-4.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.39 ₽31.53

246.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.54 ₽207

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.26 ₽21.31

296.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$14.93 ₽1,219

10.45%

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

$38.4K ₽3.1M

-27.63%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$43.3K ₽3.5M

-38.60%

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

$202 €180

$97.7 ₽7,980

106.94%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$7.82 ₽638

242.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$12.46 ₽1,017

144.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$85.9 ₽7,013

-37.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$6.60 ₽539

58.18%

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

$568 €506

$370 ₽30.2K

53.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$165 ₽13.5K

-45.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$74.3 ₽6,068

-47.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$342 ₽27.9K

116.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$200 ₽16.3K

224.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$490 ₽40.0K

159.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$402 ₽32.8K

179.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$2,338 ₽190.9K

71.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$1,124 ₽91.8K

191.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$605 ₽49.4K

105.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-81.50%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Penza: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Penza

–

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Penza

–

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Penza

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Penza

–

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Penza

–

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Penza

–

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Penza

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $342 in Penza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.1 times 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 in Athens vs $30 in Penza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $122 per month, with Penza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇺 Penza

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

02:44 2:44 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

509,513

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 81.66 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.67 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Penza 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Penza

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 Penza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penza wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Penza the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 2.1 times higher, 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 $342 in Penza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $370 in Penza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Penza – a meal for two runs $30 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $811 in Penza versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Penza but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Penza 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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Penza are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Penza wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.