Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Shchelkovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Shchelkovo: $1,054 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Shchelkovo
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Shchelkovo Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Shchelkovo

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Shchelkovo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,054 in Shchelkovo.

Athens $1,779
Shchelkovo $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,657 in Shchelkovo.

Athens $2,721
Shchelkovo $1,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,260 in Shchelkovo.

Athens $3,663
Shchelkovo $2,260

Living in Athens is roughly 69% more expensive than in Shchelkovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Shchelkovo is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.10

$6.07 ₽497

177.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €59.2

$37.25 ₽3,051

77.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €10.06

$7.55 ₽619

48.48%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.66

$3.12 ₽255

30.77%

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

$2.77 €2.49

$1.05 ₽86.1

163.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.65 ₽53.0

-16.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.11

$0.88 ₽72.4

547.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.62

$1.87 ₽153

234.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.14 ₽93.2

61.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.04 ₽84.8

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.40

$2.31 ₽189

15.58%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.44

$1.67 ₽137

196.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.55

$9.65 ₽791

56.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.86

$6.73 ₽551

63.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.74

$11.69 ₽958

69.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.32 ₽108

60.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.30 ₽107

52.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.28 ₽104

3.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.52 ₽206

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.01 ₽82.9

4.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.38 ₽30.89

202.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.64 ₽52.6

68.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.58 ₽47.18

46.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.90

$2.73 ₽224

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €9.00

$6.33 ₽518

58.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$0.93 ₽76.4

119.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.89 ₽155

25.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.57 ₽46.50

136.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.39

$26.43 ₽2,165

15.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.42

$4.32 ₽354

-11.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.30 ₽24.17

243.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.79

$4.83 ₽396

241.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$0.88 ₽72.1

165.91%

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

$27.8K €24.9K

$54.3K ₽4.4M

-48.87%

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

$26.6K €23.9K

$42.7K ₽3.5M

-37.65%

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

$202 €181

$109 ₽8,926

85.61%

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

$26.81 €24.06

$4.84 ₽396

453.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.36

$5.69 ₽466

435.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.52

$33.46 ₽2,741

61.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.59

$23.59 ₽1,932

16.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.37

$6.81 ₽558

53.30%

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

$568 €509

$215 ₽17.6K

164.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.6K

$3,621 ₽296.6K

319.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €81.4

$52.6 ₽4,311

72.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.29

$30.62 ₽2,508

28.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.4

$141 ₽11.6K

-25.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €116

$152 ₽12.4K

-14.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €666

$460 ₽37.7K

61.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €582

$359 ₽29.4K

80.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,141

$1,023 ₽83.8K

24.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,006

$670 ₽54.9K

67.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,589

$2,527 ₽207.0K

58.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,944

$1,354 ₽110.9K

142.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,117

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-76.63%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Shchelkovo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Shchelkovo

$359 34.1% 44.6% $289

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Shchelkovo

$202 19.1% 36.2% $115

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Shchelkovo

$124 11.7% 54.5% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Shchelkovo

$119 11.3% 54% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Shchelkovo

$169 16.1% 3.3% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Shchelkovo

$47 4.5% 37.2% $28

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Shchelkovo

$35 3.3% 23.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $460 in Shchelkovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $37 in Shchelkovo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $202 per month, with Shchelkovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇺 Shchelkovo

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

20:06 8:06 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.29 RUB (100 RUB = 1.1 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Shchelkovo 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Shchelkovo

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 Shchelkovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shchelkovo wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Shchelkovo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $1,582 in Shchelkovo 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 $460 in Shchelkovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Shchelkovo – a meal for two runs $37 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 $1,054 in Shchelkovo – Shchelkovo is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,054 in Shchelkovo versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Shchelkovo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Shchelkovo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Shchelkovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.