Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballsh and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballsh: $1,214 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
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Ballsh Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,214

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballsh and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ballsh and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,214 in Ballsh versus $1,806 in Athens.

Ballsh $1,214
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,852 in Ballsh versus $2,731 in Athens.

Ballsh $1,852
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,490 in Ballsh versus $3,656 in Athens.

Ballsh $2,490
Athens $3,656

Living in Ballsh costs roughly 33% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ballsh is 9% below, Athens is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.99 ALL 813

$16.66 €14.87

-40.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ALL 4,482

$66.2 €59.1

-16.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 ALL 587

$11.06 €9.87

-34.72%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ALL 189

$4.14 €3.69

-43.72%

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

$1.42 ALL 116

$2.80 €2.50

-49.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ALL 69.1

$0.57 €0.51

49.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ALL 290

$5.64 €5.03

-36.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ALL 337

$5.46 €4.87

-24.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ALL 187

$1.96 €1.75

17.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ALL 96.4

$1.41 €1.26

-16.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ALL 198

$2.83 €2.53

-14.13%

Eggs

$3.79 ALL 308

$5.04 €4.50

-24.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 ALL 1,054

$15.35 €13.70

-15.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 ALL 766

$10.34 €9.23

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.85 ALL 1,371

$18.97 €16.93

-11.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ALL 157

$2.17 €1.93

-11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 ALL 197

$1.91 €1.70

26.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ALL 176

$1.38 €1.23

56.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ALL 149

$2.20 €1.96

-16.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ALL 82.9

$1.10 €0.98

-7.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ALL 107

$1.13 €1.00

15.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 ALL 117

$1.10 €0.99

30.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ALL 61.2

$0.83 €0.74

-9.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 ALL 384

$5.60 €4.99

-15.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.52 ALL 856

$10.19 €9.09

3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 ALL 129

$2.18 €1.95

-27.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ALL 164

$2.45 €2.19

-17.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ALL 38.18

$1.38 €1.23

-65.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.41 ALL 1,579

$30.87 €27.55

-37.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 ALL 310

$4.37 €3.90

-12.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.80 ALL 309

$1.04 €0.93

265.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.85 ALL 1,534

$17.11 €15.27

10.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 ALL 185

$2.31 €2.07

-1.30%

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

$34.1K ALL 2.8M

$28.0K €25.0K

21.83%

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

$36.2K ALL 2.9M

$28.0K €25.0K

29.11%

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

$99.2 ALL 8,074

$210 €187

-52.69%

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

$18.74 ALL 1,524

$26.70 €23.83

-29.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.45 ALL 1,664

$30.13 €26.89

-32.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 ALL 4,549

$54.6 €48.72

2.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 ALL 824

$10.78 €9.62

-6.03%

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

$351 ALL 28.6K

$575 €513

-38.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,230 ALL 669.6K

$13.1K €11.7K

-37.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 ALL 4,069

$93.2 €83.1

-46.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 ALL 3,922

$40.68 €36.30

18.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ALL 9,755

$104 €92.9

15.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ALL 9,212

$128 €115

-11.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ALL 38.5K

$756 €674

-37.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 ALL 26.9K

$652 €582

-49.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ALL 58.7K

$1,294 €1,154

-44.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 ALL 38.2K

$1,163 €1,038

-59.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,863 ALL 151.6K

$4,008 €3,577

-53.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,217 ALL 99.0K

$3,452 €3,081

-64.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.48

20.31%

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

Last update for Ballsh: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballsh

$331 27.7%

Athens

$652 36.5% 97.1% $321

Groceries & Markets

Ballsh

$292 24.4%

Athens

$315 17.6% 7.9% $23

Eating Out

Ballsh

$165 13.8%

Athens

$269 15% 63.2% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Ballsh

$149 12.5%

Athens

$165 9.2% 10.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballsh

$138 11.6%

Athens

$267 14.9% 92.6% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Ballsh

$76 6.4%

Athens

$76 4.3% 0% $0

Getting Around

Ballsh

$44 3.7%

Athens

$46 2.6% 4.2% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $473 in Ballsh and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Ballsh vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $315 per month, with Ballsh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h ahead of Ballsh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 81.36 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.25 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ballsh Athens 450 km

From you

Ballsh
Athens

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

Ballsh vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballsh wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ballsh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,821 in Ballsh and $2,709 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $473 in Ballsh versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ballsh – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,214 per month in Ballsh versus $1,806 in Athens – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,214 in Ballsh versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ballsh but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Ballsh the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ballsh delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,214 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ballsh hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ballsh and Athens 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 Ballsh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.