Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Taraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Taraz: $625 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Taraz
Learn more

Taraz Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Taraz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $625 in Taraz.

Athens $1,779
Taraz $625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,000 in Taraz.

Athens $2,721
Taraz $1,000

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,374 in Taraz.

Athens $3,663
Taraz $1,374

Living in Athens is roughly 185% more expensive than in Taraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Taraz is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$8.87 ₸3,997

89.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$22.34 ₸10.1K

195.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$6.51 ₸2,934

72.20%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.58 ₸711

158.23%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.84 ₸380

229.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.43 ₸193

25.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$1.13 ₸507

404.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.80 ₸812

247.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.14 ₸512

61.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.44 ₸196

225.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.34 ₸604

99.25%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.65 ₸743

200.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$10.03 ₸4,519

50.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.29 ₸2,383

107.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$8.62 ₸3,881

129.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.21 ₸546

75.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.12 ₸954

-6.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.55 ₸1,148

-47.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.35 ₸610

60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.51 ₸228

107.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.41 ₸184

180.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.91 ₸408

18.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.81 ₸365

4.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.48 ₸1,118

120.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$4.37 ₸1,968

129.52%

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

$1.57 ₸706

51.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.20 ₸89.0

575.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.84 ₸380

353.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.37 ₸167

178.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$3.92 ₸1,764

320.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.68 ₸308

244.12%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

-1.16%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$27.4K ₸12.3M

-2.83%

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

$202 €180

$46.45 ₸20.9K

335.35%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$8.77 ₸3,949

205.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$8.66 ₸3,901

252.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$36.64 ₸16.5K

47.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$4.31 ₸1,943

142.23%

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

$568 €506

$57.2 ₸25.7K

893.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$26.06 ₸11.7K

247.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$33.42 ₸15.1K

17.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$108 ₸48.8K

-2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$51.9 ₸23.4K

148.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$261 ₸117.5K

184.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$111 ₸50.2K

482.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$449 ₸202.4K

182.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$201 ₸90.6K

457.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$843 ₸379.8K

374.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$600 ₸270.3K

446.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$271 ₸122.2K

359.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

17.83

-75.10%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Taraz: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Taraz

$111 17.8% 82.8% $537

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Taraz

$179 28.6% 43.6% $138

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Taraz

$124 19.8% 54.4% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Taraz

$64 10.2% 75.4% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Taraz

$99 15.8% 39.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Taraz

$45 7.2% 39.6% $30

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Taraz

$3.5 * 0.6% 92.2% $41

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 $261 in Taraz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $22 in Taraz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $179 per month, with Taraz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇰🇿 Taraz

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

02:35 2:35 AM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

431,160

💱 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Taraz 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Taraz

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 Taraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taraz wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taraz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 4.6 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 $261 in Taraz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Taraz – a meal for two runs $22 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $625 in Taraz versus $1,779 in Athens, a $800 budget is realistic in Taraz but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Taraz 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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Taraz are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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