Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Stip

For one person, living is cheaper in Stip: $806 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
Learn more

Stip Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Stip

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $806 in Stip.

Athens $1,775
Stip $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,205 in Stip.

Athens $2,721
Stip $1,205

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,605 in Stip.

Athens $3,666
Stip $1,605

Living in Athens is roughly 120% more expensive than in Stip, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Stip is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$7.33 MKD 400

127.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$23.62 MKD 1,288

187.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$6.30 MKD 344

76.83%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.80 MKD 98.1

123.89%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.48 MKD 80.6

87.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.07 MKD 58.2

-48.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.77 MKD 96.8

224.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.79 MKD 152

95.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.23 MKD 67.2

47.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.75 MKD 40.86

84.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.07 MKD 58.1

161.68%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.42 MKD 132

99.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$8.12 MKD 443

85.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$7.25 MKD 395

46.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$7.46 MKD 407

147.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.87 MKD 47.22

152.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.44 MKD 78.7

31.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.32 MKD 72.0

3.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.66 MKD 90.8

26.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.87 MKD 47.63

24.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.78 MKD 42.51

43.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.53 MKD 29.07

111.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.40 MKD 21.66

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.26 MKD 178

68.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.26 MKD 396

39.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.07 MKD 58.4

99.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.42 MKD 77.4

58.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.63 MKD 34.29

115.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$23.20 MKD 1,266

28.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.12 MKD 60.9

297.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.62 MKD 33.63

64.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$5.60 MKD 306

202.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.52 MKD 82.7

48.03%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

-22.06%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$27.9K MKD 1.5M

1.19%

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

$205 €182

$157 MKD 8,562

30.35%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$9.01 MKD 492

195.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$16.56 MKD 903

83.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$27.61 MKD 1,506

97.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$17.17 MKD 937

50.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$6.19 MKD 338

68.34%

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

$569 €506

$350 MKD 19.1K

62.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,765 MKD 314.5K

118.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$35.68 MKD 1,946

148.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$30.62 MKD 1,670

32.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$101 MKD 5,487

4.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$114 MKD 6,196

6.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$201 MKD 11.0K

268.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$126 MKD 6,876

419.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$327 MKD 17.9K

297.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$197 MKD 10.7K

483.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,214 MKD 66.2K

230.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$958 MKD 52.3K

261.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$462 MKD 25.2K

168.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.23

5.91%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Stip: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Stip

$126 15.7% 80.7% $529

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Stip

$177 22% 43% $133

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Stip

$124 15.4% 53.8% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Stip

$183 22.7% 30.2% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Stip

$126 15.7% 21.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Stip

$40 5% 46.9% $35

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Stip

$30 3.7% 33.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $201 in Stip. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 169% 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 $24.00 in Stip for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $177 per month, with Stip cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇰 Stip

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

65,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Stip 440 km

From you

Athens
Stip

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 Stip: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stip wins on cost – living expenses run 120% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Stip the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 169% 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 $201 in Stip. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Stip – a meal for two runs $24.00 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 $806 in Stip – a 120% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $806 in Stip versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Stip but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Stip the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Stip delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Stip hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Stip 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 Stip gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.