Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Rostov-on-Don

For one person, living is cheaper in Rostov-on-Don: $1,036 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Rostov-on-Don
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Rostov-on-Don Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Rostov-on-Don

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Rostov-on-Don

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 Rostov-on-Don actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,036 in Rostov-on-Don.

Athens $1,779
Rostov-on-Don $1,036

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,517 in Rostov-on-Don.

Athens $2,721
Rostov-on-Don $1,517

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,998 in Rostov-on-Don.

Athens $3,663
Rostov-on-Don $1,998

Living in Athens is roughly 72% more expensive than in Rostov-on-Don, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Rostov-on-Don is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$11.03 ₽900

52.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$25.49 ₽2,079

158.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$5.99 ₽489

87.15%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.07 ₽250

32.90%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.10 ₽89.5

151.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.48 ₽38.86

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.20 ₽98.0

375.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.33 ₽271

87.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.18 ₽96.6

55.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.68 ₽55.8

110.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.23 ₽100

117.07%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.52 ₽124

225.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$9.72 ₽793

55.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.48 ₽365

145.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$7.37 ₽601

168.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.45 ₽118

46.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.93 ₽158

2.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.25 ₽102

6.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.31 ₽188

-6.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.64 ₽52.0

65.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.44 ₽36.05

161.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.03 ₽83.6

4.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.57 ₽46.52

49.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.77 ₽226

97.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$6.12 ₽499

63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.84 ₽68.2

142.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.63 ₽133

46.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.52 ₽42.29

159.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$23.25 ₽1,896

31.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.02 ₽246

26.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.22 ₽17.92

368.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$1.80 ₽147

816.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.83 ₽67.7

181.93%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$54.5K ₽4.4M

-49.07%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$41.0K ₽3.3M

-35.11%

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

$202 €180

$130 ₽10.6K

56.03%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$7.12 ₽581

276.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$8.83 ₽720

245.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$35.23 ₽2,873

53.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$17.17 ₽1,401

59.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.25 ₽428

98.86%

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

$568 €505

$259 ₽21.1K

118.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$5,497 ₽448.3K

176.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$54.5 ₽4,447

66.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$18.63 ₽1,519

111.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$91.9 ₽7,495

14.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$87.1 ₽7,104

48.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$447 ₽36.5K

65.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$367 ₽30.0K

76.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$622 ₽50.8K

104.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$563 ₽45.9K

99.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$2,714 ₽221.4K

47.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,638 ₽133.6K

100.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$904 ₽73.8K

37.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

19.83

-77.61%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Rostov-on-Don: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Rostov-on-Don

$367 35.5% 43.3% $281

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Rostov-on-Don

$172 16.6% 45.6% $144

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Rostov-on-Don

$162 15.6% 40.3% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Rostov-on-Don

$146 14.1% 43.9% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Rostov-on-Don

$113 11% 30.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Rostov-on-Don

$46 4.4% 39% $29

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Rostov-on-Don

$29 2.8% 34.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $447 in Rostov-on-Don. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 38% 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 $25 in Rostov-on-Don for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $172 per month, with Rostov-on-Don cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇺 Rostov-on-Don

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

17:19 5:19 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,114,806

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Athens Rostov-on-Don 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Rostov-on-Don: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rostov-on-Don wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rostov-on-Don the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% 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: $742 in Athens versus $447 in Rostov-on-Don. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rostov-on-Don – a meal for two runs $25 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,036 in Rostov-on-Don – Rostov-on-Don is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rostov-on-Don is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rostov-on-Don delivers better value at $1,036 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rostov-on-Don hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rostov-on-Don gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.