Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Volgograd

For one person, living is cheaper in Volgograd: $888 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Volgograd
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Volgograd Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Volgograd

🇷🇺 Russia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Volgograd

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $888 in Volgograd.

Athens $1,779
Volgograd $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,473 in Volgograd.

Athens $2,721
Volgograd $1,473

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $2,058 in Volgograd.

Athens $3,663
Volgograd $2,058

Living in Athens is roughly 100% more expensive than in Volgograd, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Volgograd is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$6.65 ₽542

153.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$49.67 ₽4,051

32.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.51 ₽531

72.20%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.69 ₽220

51.67%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.99 ₽80.9

179.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.64 ₽52.1

-15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.14 ₽92.6

400.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.90 ₽155

229.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.08 ₽88.1

70.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.57 ₽46.36

150.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.17 ₽95.0

128.21%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.43 ₽117

246.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.33 ₽598

105.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.90 ₽399

124.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$11.87 ₽968

66.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.27 ₽104

66.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.57 ₽128

26.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.44 ₽118

-7.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.62 ₽214

-17.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.72 ₽58.9

47.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.48 ₽38.78

139.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.39 ₽31.45

176.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.62 ₽50.5

37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.93 ₽239

86.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.40 ₽767

6.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.09 ₽88.7

87.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.02 ₽164

17.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.47 ₽38.53

187.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$17.06 ₽1,391

78.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$3.07 ₽250

437.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.83 ₽67.4

181.93%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$54.6K ₽4.5M

-49.13%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$41.5K ₽3.4M

-35.85%

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

$202 €180

$86.7 ₽7,073

133.19%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$10.33 ₽842

159.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$7.91 ₽645

285.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

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

$568 €505

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$113 ₽9,184

-19.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$75.0 ₽6,116

-47.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$54.8 ₽4,471

91.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$185 ₽15.1K

-30.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$611 ₽49.9K

21.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$266 ₽21.7K

143.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$1,216 ₽99.1K

4.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$560 ₽45.7K

100.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,494 ₽121.9K

167.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,329 ₽108.4K

146.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$607 ₽49.5K

105.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

21.33

-79.18%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Volgograd: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Volgograd

$266 30% 58.9% $382

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Volgograd

$184 20.7% 41.8% $132

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Volgograd

$121 13.6% 55.4% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Volgograd

$105 11.8% 59.6% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Volgograd

$192 21.7% 17.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Volgograd

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Volgograd

$19 * 2.1% 57.8% $26

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 $611 in Volgograd. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $50 in Volgograd for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $184 per month, with Volgograd cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇺 Volgograd

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,004,763

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Volgograd 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Volgograd

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 Volgograd: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Volgograd wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Volgograd the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 2.1 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 $611 in Volgograd. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Volgograd – a meal for two runs $50 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Volgograd runs roughly 44% less than in Athens. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $888 in Volgograd versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Volgograd but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Volgograd 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.

Expats usually find Volgograd gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.