Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Saint Petersburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Petersburg: $1,370 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Saint Petersburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,370 in Saint Petersburg.

Athens $1,779
Saint Petersburg $1,370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,191 in Saint Petersburg.

Athens $2,721
Saint Petersburg $2,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $3,011 in Saint Petersburg.

Athens $3,663
Saint Petersburg $3,011

Living in Athens is roughly 30% more expensive than in Saint Petersburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$12.09 ₽986

39.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$43.87 ₽3,578

50.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.67 ₽544

68.07%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.28 ₽267

24.39%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.69 ₽138

63.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.79 ₽64.5

-31.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.49 ₽203

128.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.60 ₽294

73.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.18 ₽96.2

55.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.97 ₽79.2

47.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.64 ₽134

62.80%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.74 ₽142

184.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$12.76 ₽1,041

18.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$6.68 ₽545

64.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$12.89 ₽1,051

53.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.74 ₽142

21.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.61 ₽132

22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.79 ₽146

-25.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.27 ₽267

-33.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.85 ₽69.0

24.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.68 ₽55.6

69.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.42 ₽116

-23.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.82 ₽66.8

3.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.15 ₽257

73.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.25 ₽755

8.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.27 ₽104

60.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.06 ₽168

15.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.10 ₽89.6

22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$55.3 ₽4,512

-44.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.15 ₽257

20.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.65 ₽53.0

58.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$8.87 ₽724

85.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.87 ₽71.1

168.97%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$42.8K ₽3.5M

-35.06%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$37.0K ₽3.0M

-28.06%

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

$202 €180

$158 ₽12.9K

28.17%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$7.61 ₽621

252.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$9.07 ₽740

236.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$42.45 ₽3,462

27.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$42.42 ₽3,460

-35.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$7.19 ₽586

45.20%

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

$568 €505

$682 ₽55.6K

-16.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$23.7K ₽1.9M

-35.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$96.7 ₽7,883

-6.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$53.8 ₽4,388

-26.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$140 ₽11.4K

-24.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$126 ₽10.3K

2.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$766 ₽62.5K

-3.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$465 ₽37.9K

39.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$1,615 ₽131.7K

-21.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$981 ₽80.0K

14.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$4,508 ₽367.7K

-11.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$2,876 ₽234.6K

14.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,245 ₽101.5K

0.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

19.69

-77.45%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Saint Petersburg: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Saint Petersburg

$465 33.9% 28.3% $184

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Saint Petersburg

$236 17.2% 25.5% $81

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Saint Petersburg

$186 13.5% 31.7% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Saint Petersburg

$174 12.7% 32.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Saint Petersburg

$187 13.7% 14.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Saint Petersburg

$57 4.2% 24.2% $18

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Saint Petersburg

$66 4.8% 47.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $766 in Saint Petersburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $44 in Saint Petersburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $236 per month, with Saint Petersburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

21:31 9:31 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

5,597,763

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Saint Petersburg 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Saint Petersburg

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 Saint Petersburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Petersburg wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Saint Petersburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $2,056 in Saint Petersburg 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: $742 in Athens versus $766 in Saint Petersburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint Petersburg – a meal for two runs $44 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 $1,370 in Saint Petersburg – Saint Petersburg is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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.