Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kostroma and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostroma: $1,332 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kostroma
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Kostroma Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Kostroma

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,332

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,332 in Kostroma versus $1,779 in Athens.

Kostroma $1,332
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,092 in Kostroma versus $2,721 in Athens.

Kostroma $2,092
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,851 in Kostroma versus $3,663 in Athens.

Kostroma $2,851
Athens $3,663

Living in Kostroma costs roughly 25% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.21 ₽996

$16.83 €14.99

-27.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 ₽5,036

$66.0 €58.8

-6.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 ₽614

$11.21 €9.98

-32.83%

Cappuccino

$3.88 ₽316

$4.08 €3.64

-4.90%

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

$1.65 ₽135

$2.77 €2.47

-40.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₽69.1

$0.54 €0.48

57.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 ₽155

$5.70 €5.07

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 ₽404

$6.26 €5.58

-20.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₽102

$1.84 €1.64

-32.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₽85.1

$1.43 €1.27

-27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 ₽141

$2.67 €2.38

-35.21%

Eggs

$1.95 ₽159

$4.95 €4.41

-60.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.37 ₽1,172

$15.09 €13.44

-4.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 ₽562

$10.99 €9.79

-37.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.76 ₽1,203

$19.77 €17.60

-25.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 ₽169

$2.12 €1.89

-1.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ₽152

$1.98 €1.76

-5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ₽163

$1.33 €1.18

50.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 ₽310

$2.16 €1.92

75.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ₽72.9

$1.06 €0.94

-16.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₽56.0

$1.15 €1.02

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 ₽134

$1.08 €0.96

52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₽79.4

$0.85 €0.75

14.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 ₽292

$5.46 €4.86

-34.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 ₽997

$10.03 €8.93

21.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₽100

$2.04 €1.82

-39.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₽216

$2.38 €2.12

11.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 ₽49.16

$1.35 €1.20

-55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.32 ₽2,473

$30.52 €27.18

-0.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ₽295

$3.81 €3.39

-4.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ₽28.15

$1.03 €0.92

-66.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 ₽497

$16.49 €14.68

-63.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₽69.2

$2.34 €2.09

-63.68%

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

$43.7K ₽3.6M

$27.8K €24.7K

57.44%

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

$40.0K ₽3.3M

$26.6K €23.7K

50.27%

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

$182 ₽14.9K

$202 €180

-9.94%

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

$8.47 ₽691

$26.81 €23.87

-68.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.65 ₽787

$30.49 €27.14

-68.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.59 ₽3,392

$54.1 €48.14

-23.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.96 ₽1,955

$27.40 €24.40

-12.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.49 ₽774

$10.44 €9.30

-9.10%

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

$356 ₽29.0K

$568 €505

-37.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,304 ₽514.1K

$15.2K €13.5K

-58.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₽8,633

$90.7 €80.7

16.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.8 ₽5,528

$39.32 €35.01

72.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₽11.7K

$105 €93.7

35.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$176 ₽14.3K

$129 €115

36.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 ₽35.4K

$742 €661

-41.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ₽28.5K

$648 €577

-46.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 ₽73.4K

$1,271 €1,132

-29.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₽49.5K

$1,122 €999

-45.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,294 ₽187.1K

$3,999 €3,561

-42.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 ₽126.4K

$3,281 €2,921

-52.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$776 ₽63.3K

$1,245 €1,109

-37.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.36

4.44

336.04%

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

Last update for Kostroma: November 2, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kostroma

$349 26.2%

Athens

$648 36.4% 85.6% $299

Groceries & Markets

Kostroma

$266 20%

Athens

$316 17.8% 18.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Kostroma

$222 16.6%

Athens

$164 9.2% 26.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kostroma

$200 15%

Athens

$260 14.6% 29.6% $59

Eating Out

Kostroma

$196 14.7%

Athens

$272 15.3% 38.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Kostroma

$61 4.6%

Athens

$75 4.2% 23.7% $14

Getting Around

Kostroma

$38 2.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 17.9% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $434 in Kostroma and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 60% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Kostroma vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $316 per month, with Kostroma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Kostroma

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

03:30 3:30 AM

1 h behind Kostroma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

277,393

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

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).

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

USD to RUB in detail →

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Between locations

Kostroma Athens 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kostroma
Athens

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kostroma vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kostroma wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kostroma the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Kostroma. 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: $434 in Kostroma versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $356 in Kostroma versus $568 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kostroma – a meal for two runs $62 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kostroma is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Kostroma wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.