Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Pogradec

For one person, living is cheaper in Pogradec: $816 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Pogradec
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Pogradec Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Pogradec

🇦🇱 Albania

$816

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Pogradec

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $816 in Pogradec.

Athens $1,771
Pogradec $816

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $1,350 in Pogradec.

Athens $2,736
Pogradec $1,350

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $1,884 in Pogradec.

Athens $3,701
Pogradec $1,884

Living in Athens is roughly 117% more expensive than in Pogradec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Pogradec is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$9.82 ALL 791

71.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$39.52 ALL 3,183

72.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$7.57 ALL 610

50.99%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$1.52 ALL 123

167.11%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$1.78 ALL 143

53.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.65 ALL 52.0

-18.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$1.52 ALL 122

274.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$2.75 ALL 221

106.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.98 ALL 160

-6.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.97 ALL 78.1

48.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.06 ALL 166

36.89%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$2.20 ALL 177

120.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$8.00 ALL 644

90.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$4.41 ALL 355

134.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$13.97 ALL 1,125

36.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.22 ALL 98.5

81.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.25 ALL 181

-14.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.52 ALL 123

-7.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.26 ALL 102

61.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.94 ALL 75.8

11.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.03 ALL 83.2

13.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.04 ALL 83.6

3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.78 ALL 62.8

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$4.25 ALL 343

29.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$7.98 ALL 643

27.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.22 ALL 98.0

74.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.87 ALL 151

21.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.50 ALL 40.63

174.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$18.68 ALL 1,504

59.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$3.73 ALL 300

17.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.82 ALL 147

-45.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$18.74 ALL 1,509

-11.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.25 ALL 181

5.78%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$34.0K ALL 2.7M

-16.52%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$24.5K ALL 2.0M

11.01%

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

$203 €181

$61.0 ALL 4,913

233.42%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$16.58 ALL 1,335

61.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$17.22 ALL 1,387

75.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$35.88 ALL 2,889

49.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$18.68 ALL 1,504

41.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$8.43 ALL 679

25.62%

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

$566 €504

$98.2 ALL 7,910

476.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$49.70 ALL 4,002

79.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$56.2 ALL 4,523

-27.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$98.3 ALL 7,916

5.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$150 ALL 12.1K

-17.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$185 ALL 14.9K

293.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$123 ALL 9,902

426.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$370 ALL 29.8K

259.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$249 ALL 20.0K

370.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$1,597 ALL 128.6K

151.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$1,467 ALL 118.2K

137.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$476 ALL 38.4K

160.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-10.40%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Pogradec: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Pogradec

$123 15.1% 81% $524

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Pogradec

$211 25.8% 32.6% $102

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Pogradec

$142 17.4% 47.4% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Pogradec

$95 11.6% 63.6% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Pogradec

$159 19.5% 1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Pogradec

$53 6.5% 29.5% $22

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Pogradec

$34 4.1% 24.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $185 in Pogradec. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 160% 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 $40.00 in Pogradec for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $211 per month, with Pogradec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇦🇱 Pogradec

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

20,848

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Pogradec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pogradec wins on cost – living expenses run 117% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pogradec the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 160% 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: $729 in Athens versus $185 in Pogradec. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pogradec – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $816 in Pogradec – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $816 in Pogradec versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pogradec but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Pogradec the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pogradec delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $816 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pogradec hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Pogradec 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 Pogradec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.