Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Shkoder

For one person, living is cheaper in Shkoder: $961 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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 Shkoder
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Shkoder Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Shkoder

🇦🇱 Albania

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Shkoder

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $961 in Shkoder.

Athens $1,775
Shkoder $961

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,451 in Shkoder.

Athens $2,721
Shkoder $1,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,941 in Shkoder.

Athens $3,666
Shkoder $1,941

Living in Athens is roughly 85% more expensive than in Shkoder, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Shkoder is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$8.94 ALL 720

86.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$37.60 ALL 3,028

80.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$6.04 ALL 487

84.44%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.88 ALL 152

114.36%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.85 ALL 149

49.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.63 ALL 51.1

-12.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.82 ALL 147

215.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.06 ALL 247

78.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.89 ALL 152

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.00 ALL 80.3

38.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.03 ALL 163

37.93%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.58 ALL 208

87.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$7.26 ALL 585

107.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.03 ALL 405

111.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$10.79 ALL 869

70.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.63 ALL 131

34.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.22 ALL 178

-14.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.66 ALL 134

-17.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.50 ALL 121

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.02 ALL 81.9

5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.24 ALL 100

-9.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.18 ALL 95.2

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.72 ALL 57.6

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$4.18 ALL 336

31.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.26 ALL 504

61.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.58 ALL 127

34.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.75 ALL 141

28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.49 ALL 39.24

177.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$11.09 ALL 893

169.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.60 ALL 290

23.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$3.87 ALL 311

-73.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$18.31 ALL 1,474

-7.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.24 ALL 180

0.45%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$34.1K ALL 2.7M

-17.90%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$24.5K ALL 2.0M

15.42%

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

$205 €182

$61.2 ALL 4,926

234.48%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$16.81 ALL 1,354

58.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$17.27 ALL 1,391

75.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$42.56 ALL 3,427

28.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$12.07 ALL 972

114.42%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.39 ALL 595

41.00%

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

$569 €506

$93.2 ALL 7,509

510.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,846 ALL 148.7K

581.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$49.08 ALL 3,952

80.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$12.44 ALL 1,002

225.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$72.2 ALL 5,818

45.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$144 ALL 11.6K

-16.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$476 ALL 38.3K

55.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$305 ALL 24.6K

114.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$485 ALL 39.0K

168.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$407 ALL 32.7K

182.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,855 ALL 149.4K

116.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,213 ALL 97.7K

185.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$572 ALL 46.1K

117.22%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Shkoder: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Shkoder

$305 31.8% 53.3% $349

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Shkoder

$205 21.3% 34% $105

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Shkoder

$137 14.3% 48.7% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Shkoder

$95 9.9% 63.6% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Shkoder

$125 13% 21.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Shkoder

$57 6% 23.9% $18

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Shkoder

$36 3.7% 19.9% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $476 in Shkoder. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 117% 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 $38.00 in Shkoder for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $205 per month, with Shkoder cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇦🇱 Shkoder

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

77,075

💱 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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Between locations

Athens Shkoder 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Athens
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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 Shkoder: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shkoder wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shkoder the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 117% 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: $741 in Athens versus $476 in Shkoder. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Shkoder – a meal for two runs $38.00 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 $961 in Shkoder – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $961 in Shkoder versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shkoder but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Shkoder the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Shkoder delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $961 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Shkoder hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Shkoder 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 Shkoder gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.