Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Resen

For one person, living is cheaper in Resen: $979 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Resen
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Resen Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Resen

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Resen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $979 in Resen.

Athens $1,775
Resen $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,481 in Resen.

Athens $2,721
Resen $1,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,983 in Resen.

Athens $3,666
Resen $1,983

Living in Athens is roughly 81% more expensive than in Resen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Resen is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$9.54 MKD 520

74.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$34.85 MKD 1,901

94.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$6.46 MKD 352

72.45%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.05 MKD 112

96.59%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.88 MKD 103

47.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.38 MKD 75.3

-60.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.66 MKD 145

115.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.62 MKD 143

108.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.29 MKD 70.3

41.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.74 MKD 40.55

86.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.77 MKD 96.5

58.19%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.52 MKD 137

91.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$7.84 MKD 428

91.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$7.24 MKD 395

46.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$14.77 MKD 806

24.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.48 MKD 80.5

48.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.38 MKD 75.4

37.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.31 MKD 71.3

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.97 MKD 107

6.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.82 MKD 44.79

31.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.83 MKD 45.54

34.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.59 MKD 32.32

89.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.59 MKD 32.25

49.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.49 MKD 190

57.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.19 MKD 392

40.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.03 MKD 56.1

106.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.43 MKD 78.0

57.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.68 MKD 36.90

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$22.53 MKD 1,229

32.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.12 MKD 61.0

297.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.61 MKD 33.28

67.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$7.64 MKD 417

121.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.54 MKD 84.1

46.10%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.5K MKD 1.9M

-21.08%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$27.0K MKD 1.5M

4.45%

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

$205 €182

$155 MKD 8,458

31.95%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$18.92 MKD 1,032

40.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$19.05 MKD 1,039

59.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$22.04 MKD 1,202

147.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$17.21 MKD 939

50.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.20 MKD 393

44.72%

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

$569 €506

$358 MKD 19.5K

58.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,591 MKD 305.0K

125.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$83.1 MKD 4,535

6.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$37.50 MKD 2,045

7.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$101 MKD 5,513

3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$112 MKD 6,108

8.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$296 MKD 16.1K

150.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$210 MKD 11.5K

211.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$543 MKD 29.6K

139.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$317 MKD 17.3K

262.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,431 MKD 78.0K

180.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,265 MKD 69.0K

173.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.23

5.91%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Resen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Resen

$210 21.5% 67.9% $445

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Resen

$208 21.3% 32.9% $102

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Resen

$152 15.5% 43.4% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Resen

$193 19.7% 26.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Resen

$150 15.3% 6.1% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Resen

$36 3.7% 51.6% $39

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Resen

$29 3% 34.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $296 in Resen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $35.00 in Resen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $208 per month, with Resen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇰 Resen

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

8,700

💱 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

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Athens Resen 420 km

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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 Resen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Resen wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Resen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $1,469 in Resen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $296 in Resen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Resen – a meal for two runs $35.00 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 $979 in Resen – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $979 in Resen versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Resen but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Resen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Resen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $979 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Resen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Resen 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 Resen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.