Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $804 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Shymkent

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $804 in Shymkent.

Athens $1,779
Shymkent $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,385 in Shymkent.

Athens $2,721
Shymkent $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,965 in Shymkent.

Athens $3,663
Shymkent $1,965

Living in Athens is roughly 121% more expensive than in Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Shymkent is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$11.24 ₸5,066

49.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$33.91 ₸15.3K

94.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.67 ₸3,007

68.07%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.41 ₸1,085

69.29%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.05 ₸472

163.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.50 ₸227

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.14 ₸515

400.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.36 ₸615

360.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.44 ₸647

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.43 ₸196

232.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.81 ₸814

47.51%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.74 ₸783

184.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$10.24 ₸4,617

47.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.33 ₸2,402

106.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$8.48 ₸3,822

133.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.15 ₸519

84.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.17 ₸977

-8.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$2.45 ₸1,104

-45.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.41 ₸637

53.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.51 ₸231

107.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.41 ₸184

180.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.96 ₸433

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.85 ₸382

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.38 ₸1,074

129.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$4.55 ₸2,052

120.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.03 ₸464

98.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.54 ₸694

54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.14 ₸63.1

864.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.91 ₸411

318.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.37 ₸168

178.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$9.99 ₸4,502

65.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.66 ₸297

254.55%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$27.2K ₸12.3M

1.93%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$29.5K ₸13.3M

-9.92%

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

$202 €180

$46.66 ₸21.0K

333.39%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$9.48 ₸4,273

182.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$15.26 ₸6,878

99.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$39.10 ₸17.6K

38.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$8.81 ₸3,973

211.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.61 ₸2,529

86.10%

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

$568 €505

$57.1 ₸25.8K

893.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$37.07 ₸16.7K

144.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$33.63 ₸15.2K

16.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$182 ₸82.1K

-42.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$51.9 ₸23.4K

148.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$342 ₸154.0K

117.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$204 ₸91.8K

218.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$692 ₸311.9K

83.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$545 ₸245.8K

105.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,105 ₸497.9K

262.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$978 ₸440.8K

235.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$445 ₸200.6K

179.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

18.25

-75.67%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Shymkent

$204 25.3% 68.6% $445

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Shymkent

$185 23% 41.5% $131

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Shymkent

$153 19.1% 43.5% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Shymkent

$71 8.9% 72.5% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Shymkent

$137 17.1% 16.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Shymkent

$50 6.3% 32.9% $25

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4% 92.6% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $342 in Shymkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $34 in Shymkent for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $185 per month, with Shymkent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

10:43 10:43 AM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,222,055

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Shymkent 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Athens
Shymkent

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 Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shymkent wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Shymkent the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 2.8 times higher, 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 $342 in Shymkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $57 in Shymkent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shymkent – a meal for two runs $34 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $804 in Shymkent versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent 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.

It comes down to priorities – Shymkent wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.