Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Tetovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Tetovo: $995 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,775
/mo nomad
Tetovo
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$995
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Tetovo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $995 in Tetovo.

  • Athens $1,775
  • Tetovo $995

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,498 in Tetovo.

  • Athens $2,721
  • Tetovo $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,001 in Tetovo.

  • Athens $3,666
  • Tetovo $2,001

Living in Athens is roughly 78% more expensive than in Tetovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Tetovo is 26% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Tetovo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.69 €14.84
$7.35 MKD 401
127.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.8 €60.3
$27.44 MKD 1,497
147.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.14 €9.91
$5.84 MKD 319
90.75%
Cappuccino
$4.03 €3.58
$1.49 MKD 81.4
170.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 €2.46
$1.48 MKD 80.7
87.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 €0.49
$0.92 MKD 50.4
-40.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.74 €5.10
$2.16 MKD 118
165.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.45 €4.85
$2.20 MKD 120
147.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Tetovo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.25 MKD 68.2
45.60%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 €1.23
$0.63 MKD 34.44
119.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.80 €2.49
$1.30 MKD 71.0
115.38%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.30
$2.12 MKD 116
127.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.05 €13.39
$7.23 MKD 394
108.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.63 €9.45
$5.34 MKD 291
99.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.43 €16.39
$10.05 MKD 548
83.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.20 €1.96
$1.43 MKD 78.1
53.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 €1.69
$1.45 MKD 79.2
31.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.37 €1.22
$0.99 MKD 54.0
38.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.88 MKD 103
11.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 €0.96
$0.90 MKD 49.04
20.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 €1.00
$0.69 MKD 37.87
62.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 €1.00
$0.58 MKD 31.79
93.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.50 MKD 27.27
76.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.48 €4.88
$3.04 MKD 166
80.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.13 €9.01
$4.50 MKD 245
125.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 €1.89
$1.01 MKD 55.1
110.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 €2.00
$1.43 MKD 78.1
57.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Tetovo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.36 €1.21
$0.37 MKD 20.19
267.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.89 €26.59
$10.77 MKD 588
177.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.45 €3.96
$1.07 MKD 58.6
315.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 €0.90
$0.56 MKD 30.35
82.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.92 €15.05
$7.71 MKD 421
119.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.25 €2.00
$1.49 MKD 81.4
51.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €24.9K
$35.9K MKD 2.0M
-22.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K €25.1K
$27.7K MKD 1.5M
1.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Tetovo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 €182
$158 MKD 8,610
29.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.65 €23.71
$17.78 MKD 970
49.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.38 €27.02
$18.94 MKD 1,033
60.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Tetovo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.5 €48.47
$70.1 MKD 3,822
-22.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.88 €23.02
$18.00 MKD 982
43.78%
Cinema Ticket
$10.42 €9.27
$5.49 MKD 300
89.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Tetovo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$569 €506
$220 MKD 12.0K
159.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.6K €11.2K
$2,152 MKD 117.4K
484.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Tetovo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.7 €78.9
$62.9 MKD 3,430
40.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.46 €35.99
$36.22 MKD 1,976
11.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.3
$99.6 MKD 5,435
5.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$112 MKD 6,104
8.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Tetovo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$741 €659
$353 MKD 19.3K
109.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$655 €582
$275 MKD 15.0K
138.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,300 €1,156
$575 MKD 31.4K
126.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,148 €1,021
$489 MKD 26.7K
134.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,014 €3,570
$1,214 MKD 66.2K
230.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,460 €3,078
$1,079 MKD 58.8K
220.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Tetovo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,242 €1,105
$858 MKD 46.8K
44.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
3.75
19.47%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Tetovo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$655
Tetovo
$275 58% $380
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$310
Tetovo
$170 45.4% $141
Eating Out
Athens
$268
Tetovo
$119 55.6% $149
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$262
Tetovo
$195 25.6% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$160
Tetovo
$140 12.6% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$75
Tetovo
$81 7.6% $5.7
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Tetovo
$16 64.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $353 in Tetovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 45% 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 $27.00 in Tetovo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $170 per month, with Tetovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇲🇰 Tetovo
🕒 Local time
11:50 11:50 AM
10:50 10:50 AM
1 h behind Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
53,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Tetovo 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Athens
  • Tetovo

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 Tetovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Tetovo?
Tetovo wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tetovo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Athens or in Tetovo?
Average pay runs 45% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athens compared to Tetovo?
Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $353 in Tetovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Tetovo?
Dining out is cheaper in Tetovo – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Athens compared to Tetovo?
All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $995 in Tetovo – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Athens or in Tetovo?
At $995 in Tetovo versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tetovo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Tetovo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Athens or Tetovo?
Both work as nomad bases, but Tetovo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $995 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tetovo hard to pass up.
How safe is Athens compared to Tetovo?
Safety-wise, Athens and Tetovo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Tetovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Athens vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?