Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Urumqi

For one person, living is cheaper in Urumqi: $597 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Urumqi
Learn more

Urumqi Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Urumqi

🇨🇳 China

$597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Urumqi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $597 in Urumqi.

Athens $1,806
Urumqi $597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $964 in Urumqi.

Athens $2,731
Urumqi $964

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,332 in Urumqi.

Athens $3,656
Urumqi $1,332

Living in Athens is roughly 203% more expensive than in Urumqi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Urumqi is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.85

$3.41 ¥22.84

388.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$18.01 ¥121

267.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.86

$5.16 ¥34.52

114.34%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.79 ¥18.64

48.39%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$0.46 ¥3.10

508.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.26 ¥1.75

119.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$1.14 ¥7.64

394.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.77 ¥11.83

208.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.27 ¥8.52

54.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.91 ¥6.07

54.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$0.65 ¥4.38

335.38%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.49

$1.52 ¥10.20

231.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.68

$5.81 ¥38.91

164.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.22

$2.40 ¥16.06

330.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.92

$9.91 ¥66.4

91.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.04 ¥13.64

6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.26 ¥8.45

51.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.90 ¥12.69

-27.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.72 ¥4.81

205.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.54 ¥3.59

103.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.57 ¥3.82

98.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.51 ¥3.38

115.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.48 ¥3.23

72.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$2.96 ¥19.85

89.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.08

$10.17 ¥68.1

0.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.11 ¥7.41

96.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.52 ¥10.15

61.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.31 ¥2.10

345.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.52

$17.86 ¥120

72.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$1.48 ¥9.91

195.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.29 ¥1.93

258.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.26

$7.26 ¥48.58

135.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.19 ¥7.96

94.12%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$17.8K ¥119.0K

57.47%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$14.0K ¥93.6K

100.31%

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

$210 €187

$66.8 ¥447

213.81%

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

$26.70 €23.80

$5.51 ¥36.90

384.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.86

$11.18 ¥74.8

169.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.68

$22.05 ¥148

147.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.21

$9.48 ¥63.4

174.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.61

$6.09 ¥40.76

77.01%

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

$575 €513

$161 ¥1,079

256.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$8,771 ¥58.7K

49.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$52.0 ¥348

79.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.27

$21.89 ¥147

85.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$105 ¥703

-0.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$44.58 ¥298

187.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$257 ¥1,721

193.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$121 ¥807

441.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,153

$407 ¥2,727

217.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,037

$247 ¥1,654

370.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,574

$1,887 ¥12.6K

112.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,078

$1,189 ¥7,959

190.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,109

$1,136 ¥7,601

9.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.39

32.15%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Urumqi: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Urumqi

$121 19.9% 81.5% $532

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Urumqi

$158 26% 49.8% $157

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Urumqi

$88 14.5% 67.1% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Urumqi

$84 13.8% 68.7% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Urumqi

$101 16.6% 39% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Urumqi

$34 5.6% 55.1% $42

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Urumqi

$22 3.6% 52% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $257 in Urumqi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 9% 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 $18.00 in Urumqi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $158 per month, with Urumqi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇳 Urumqi

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

13:19 1:19 PM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

4,054,369

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Athens Urumqi 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Urumqi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Urumqi wins on cost – living expenses run 203% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Urumqi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% 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 $257 in Urumqi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Urumqi – a meal for two runs $18.00 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 $597 in Urumqi – a 203% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $597 in Urumqi versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Urumqi but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Urumqi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Urumqi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $597 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Urumqi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Urumqi 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 Urumqi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 203% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.