Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Podgorica

For one person, living is cheaper in Podgorica: $1,315 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Podgorica

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,315 in Podgorica.

Athens $1,806
Podgorica $1,315

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,079 in Podgorica.

Athens $2,731
Podgorica $2,079

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $2,844 in Podgorica.

Athens $3,656
Podgorica $2,844

Living in Athens is roughly 37% more expensive than in Podgorica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Podgorica is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$11.18 €9.98

49.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$45.17 €40.31

46.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$10.73 €9.58

3.08%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.12 €1.89

95.28%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.52 €2.25

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.46 €1.30

-60.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.06 €2.73

84.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.30 €2.94

65.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.33 €1.19

47.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.02 €0.91

38.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.92 €1.71

47.40%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.61 €3.22

39.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$8.80 €7.86

74.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$8.51 €7.59

21.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$12.30 €10.97

54.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.62 €1.44

33.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.64 €1.46

16.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.81 €1.62

-23.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.33 €2.08

-5.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.99 €0.88

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.02 €0.91

10.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.44 €1.29

-23.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$4.42 €3.95

26.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$5.71 €5.10

78.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.04 €0.93

109.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.71 €1.53

43.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.03 €0.92

33.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$33.52 €29.91

-7.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.73 €0.65

498.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.75 €0.67

38.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$11.39 €10.16

50.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.91 €1.71

20.94%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$30.1K €26.8K

-6.95%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$26.4K €23.5K

6.27%

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

$210 €187

$126 €112

66.39%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$19.15 €17.09

39.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$31.45 €28.07

-4.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$48.97 €43.70

11.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$13.71 €12.24

89.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$6.51 €5.81

65.59%

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

$575 €513

$336 €300

70.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$7,417 €6,619

76.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$86.1 €76.8

8.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$46.19 €41.22

-11.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$98.5 €87.9

5.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$108 €96.2

19.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$640 €571

18.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$485 €433

34.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,306 €1,165

-0.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$989 €883

17.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$3,074 €2,743

30.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$2,329 €2,078

48.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,158 €1,033

7.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.22

-14.18%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Podgorica: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Podgorica

$485 36.4% 25.6% $167

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Podgorica

$229 17.2% 27.2% $86

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Podgorica

$185 13.9% 31.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Podgorica

$177 13.3% 33.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Podgorica

$152 11.4% 7.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Podgorica

$62 4.7% 18.6% $14

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Podgorica

$42 3.2% 8.3% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $640 in Podgorica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 7% 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 $45.00 in Podgorica for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $229 per month, with Podgorica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

150,799 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Podgorica 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Podgorica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 7% 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 $640 in Podgorica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Podgorica – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,315 in Podgorica – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,315 in Podgorica versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Podgorica but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Podgorica the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Podgorica delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,315 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Podgorica hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Podgorica 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 Podgorica 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.