Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budva and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Budva: $1,604 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,604

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budva 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 Budva and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,604 in Budva versus $1,806 in Athens.

Budva $1,604
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,553 in Budva versus $2,731 in Athens.

Budva $2,553
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,501 in Budva versus $3,656 in Athens.

Budva $3,501
Athens $3,656

Living in Budva costs roughly 11% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budva 20% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.84 €13.24

$16.66 €14.87

-10.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.0

$66.2 €59.1

3.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.04

$11.06 €9.87

21.97%

Cappuccino

$3.42 €3.05

$4.14 €3.69

-17.39%

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

$2.25 €2.01

$2.80 €2.50

-19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.57 €0.51

170.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.80 €4.28

$5.64 €5.03

-14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 €3.84

$5.46 €4.87

-21.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.96 €1.75

-38.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.41 €1.26

-22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.83 €2.53

-21.91%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$5.04 €4.50

-40.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 €7.80

$15.35 €13.70

-43.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 €8.24

$10.34 €9.23

-10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 €11.16

$18.97 €16.93

-34.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.17 €1.93

-41.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.91 €1.70

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.38 €1.23

7.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.20 €1.96

28.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.10 €0.98

-14.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.13 €1.00

-6.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.10 €0.99

49.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.83 €0.74

9.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 €3.89

$5.60 €4.99

-22.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 €6.85

$10.19 €9.09

-24.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.18 €1.95

-48.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.45 €2.19

-31.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.54

$1.38 €1.23

105.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.03 €35.73

$30.87 €27.55

29.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 €1.01

$4.37 €3.90

-74.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.04 €0.93

10.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.90 €15.08

$17.11 €15.27

-1.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.31 €2.07

-25.54%

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

$29.6K €26.4K

$28.0K €25.0K

5.61%

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

$26.2K €23.3K

$28.0K €25.0K

-6.62%

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

$163 €145

$210 €187

-22.42%

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

$14.79 €13.20

$26.70 €23.83

-44.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.37 €29.78

$30.13 €26.89

10.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 €52.5

$54.6 €48.72

7.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.72 €19.39

$26.03 €23.23

-16.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 €5.52

$10.78 €9.62

-42.58%

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

$395 €352

$575 €513

-31.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,585 €8,553

$13.1K €11.7K

-26.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.7

$93.2 €83.1

11.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.73 €39.91

$40.68 €36.30

9.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 €87.2

$104 €92.9

-6.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 €158

$128 €115

37.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 €735

$756 €674

8.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 €528

$652 €582

-9.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 €1,324

$1,294 €1,154

14.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,042

$1,163 €1,038

0.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 €3,726

$4,008 €3,577

4.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,981 €2,660

$3,452 €3,081

-13.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,031 €920

$1,243 €1,110

-17.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

4.48

32.81%

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

Last update for Budva: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budva

$592 36.8%

Athens

$652 36.5% 10.2% $60

Eating Out

Budva

$248 15.4%

Athens

$269 15% 8.4% $21

Groceries & Markets

Budva

$237 14.7%

Athens

$315 17.6% 32.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budva

$211 13.1%

Athens

$267 14.9% 26.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Budva

$190 11.8%

Athens

$165 9.2% 13.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Budva

$71 4.4%

Athens

$76 4.3% 7% $5

Getting Around

Budva

$58 3.6%

Athens

$46 2.6% 21.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $823 in Budva and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 21% 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 Budva vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $315, with Budva cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Budva

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

1 h ahead of Budva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,338

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Budva Athens 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Budva vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budva wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Budva the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Athens. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $823 in Budva versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Budva – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,604 per month in Budva versus $1,806 in Athens – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,604 in Budva versus $1,806 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Budva but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Budva the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Budva delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,604 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Budva hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Budva 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 Budva gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.