Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sveti Nikole

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $847 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
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Sveti Nikole Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sveti Nikole

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $847 in Sveti Nikole.

Athens $1,806
Sveti Nikole $847

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,299 in Sveti Nikole.

Athens $2,731
Sveti Nikole $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,752 in Sveti Nikole.

Athens $3,656
Sveti Nikole $1,752

Living in Athens is roughly 113% more expensive than in Sveti Nikole, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Sveti Nikole is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$8.91 MKD 488

86.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$34.23 MKD 1,876

93.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$5.31 MKD 291

108.29%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$1.62 MKD 88.8

155.56%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.40 MKD 76.7

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.98 MKD 53.6

-41.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$1.59 MKD 87.0

254.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$1.81 MKD 99.1

201.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.30 MKD 71.1

50.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.59 MKD 32.37

138.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.15 MKD 63.2

146.09%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$2.50 MKD 137

101.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$8.98 MKD 492

70.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$4.62 MKD 253

123.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$12.02 MKD 659

57.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.35 MKD 74.0

60.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.24 MKD 67.8

54.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.23 MKD 67.7

12.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.70 MKD 93.3

29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.74 MKD 40.77

48.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.16 MKD 63.8

-2.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.80 MKD 43.74

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.42 MKD 23.08

97.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$3.03 MKD 166

84.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$6.41 MKD 351

58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.98 MKD 53.5

122.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.42 MKD 77.7

72.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.72 MKD 39.23

91.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$23.30 MKD 1,277

32.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$1.43 MKD 78.6

205.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.99 MKD 54.1

5.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$3.71 MKD 203

361.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.47 MKD 80.7

57.14%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$34.4K MKD 1.9M

-18.61%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

2.61%

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

$210 €187

$128 MKD 7,030

63.51%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$15.35 MKD 841

73.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$11.85 MKD 649

154.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$22.65 MKD 1,241

141.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$16.14 MKD 884

61.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$4.93 MKD 270

118.66%

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

$575 €513

$303 MKD 16.6K

89.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$3,086 MKD 169.1K

325.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$72.7 MKD 3,982

28.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$31.69 MKD 1,736

28.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$82.5 MKD 4,523

26.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$85.5 MKD 4,684

50.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$239 MKD 13.1K

216.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$182 MKD 9,990

257.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$539 MKD 29.5K

140.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$262 MKD 14.3K

344.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$1,505 MKD 82.5K

166.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$1,149 MKD 63.0K

200.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$548 MKD 30.0K

127.05%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Sveti Nikole

$182 21.9% 72.1% $470

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.7% 42.6% $134

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Sveti Nikole

$128 15.3% 52.5% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Sveti Nikole

$155 18.7% 41.7% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.7% 25.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9% 57.3% $44

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9% 29.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $239 in Sveti Nikole. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 127% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $34.00 in Sveti Nikole for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $181 per month, with Sveti Nikole cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

13,220

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MKD = 1.82 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Sveti Nikole 460 km

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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 Sveti Nikole: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sveti Nikole wins on cost – living expenses run 113% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sveti Nikole the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 127% 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: $756 in Athens versus $239 in Sveti Nikole. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sveti Nikole – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $847 in Sveti Nikole – a 113% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $847 in Sveti Nikole versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sveti Nikole but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sveti Nikole the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sveti Nikole delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $847 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sveti Nikole hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Sveti Nikole 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 Sveti Nikole gentler on the wallet – expenses run 113% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.