Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makhachkala and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,119 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,119

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,119 in Makhachkala versus $1,779 in Athens.

Makhachkala $1,119
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,771 in Makhachkala versus $2,721 in Athens.

Makhachkala $1,771
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,422 in Makhachkala versus $3,663 in Athens.

Makhachkala $2,422
Athens $3,663

Living in Makhachkala costs roughly 37% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Makhachkala is 17% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 ₽891

$16.83 €14.99

-35.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.03 ₽3,754

$66.0 €58.8

-30.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 ₽534

$11.21 €9.98

-41.57%

Cappuccino

$2.85 ₽232

$4.08 €3.64

-30.15%

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

$1.23 ₽100

$2.77 €2.47

-55.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽47.65

$0.54 €0.48

7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 ₽154

$5.70 €5.07

-67.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₽288

$6.26 €5.58

-43.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₽95.3

$1.84 €1.64

-36.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 ₽65.8

$1.43 €1.27

-43.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ₽114

$2.67 €2.38

-47.57%

Eggs

$1.58 ₽129

$4.95 €4.41

-68.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.17 ₽993

$15.09 €13.44

-19.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 ₽453

$10.99 €9.79

-49.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 ₽918

$19.77 €17.60

-43.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ₽151

$2.12 €1.89

-12.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ₽146

$1.98 €1.76

-9.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 ₽141

$1.33 €1.18

30.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 ₽245

$2.16 €1.92

38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₽65.4

$1.06 €0.94

-24.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₽48.26

$1.15 €1.02

-48.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 ₽128

$1.08 €0.96

45.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₽59.6

$0.85 €0.75

-14.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₽238

$5.46 €4.86

-46.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₽694

$10.03 €8.93

-15.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 ₽88.6

$2.04 €1.82

-46.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₽193

$2.38 €2.12

-0.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ₽47.00

$1.35 €1.20

-57.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.54 ₽2,409

$30.52 €27.18

-3.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ₽191

$3.81 €3.39

-38.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ₽31.83

$1.03 €0.92

-62.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 ₽519

$16.49 €14.68

-61.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 ₽71.8

$2.34 €2.09

-62.39%

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

$46.0K ₽3.7M

$27.8K €24.7K

65.58%

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

$37.0K ₽3.0M

$26.6K €23.7K

38.97%

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

$125 ₽10.2K

$202 €180

-38.28%

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

$5.77 ₽470

$26.81 €23.87

-78.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.34 ₽762

$30.49 €27.14

-69.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.68 ₽2,992

$54.1 €48.14

-32.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.65 ₽2,256

$27.40 €24.40

0.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ₽530

$10.44 €9.30

-37.74%

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

$352 ₽28.7K

$568 €505

-37.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,172 ₽503.4K

$15.2K €13.5K

-59.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.0 ₽7,501

$90.7 €80.7

1.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.71 ₽4,054

$39.32 €35.01

26.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 ₽12.0K

$105 €93.7

40.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₽10.7K

$129 €115

2.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ₽40.1K

$742 €661

-33.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₽26.2K

$648 €577

-50.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 ₽74.8K

$1,271 €1,132

-27.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ₽47.7K

$1,122 €999

-47.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,252 ₽183.7K

$3,999 €3,561

-43.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,507 ₽122.9K

$3,281 €2,921

-54.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$638 ₽52.1K

$1,245 €1,109

-48.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

4.44

380.41%

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

Last update for Makhachkala: 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

Makhachkala

$322 28.8%

Athens

$648 36.4% 102% $327

Groceries & Markets

Makhachkala

$218 19.4%

Athens

$316 17.8% 45.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Makhachkala

$189 16.9%

Athens

$164 9.2% 13.5% $26

Eating Out

Makhachkala

$165 14.7%

Athens

$272 15.3% 64.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makhachkala

$140 12.5%

Athens

$260 14.6% 85.5% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Makhachkala

$50 4.4%

Athens

$75 4.2% 50.9% $25

Getting Around

Makhachkala

$36 3.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 24.2% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $492 in Makhachkala and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 95% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Makhachkala vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $316 per month, with Makhachkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

11:07 11:07 AM

1 h behind Makhachkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

604,266

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 = 91.6 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

Makhachkala Athens 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Makhachkala
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

Makhachkala vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makhachkala wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Makhachkala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Makhachkala. 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: $492 in Makhachkala versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Makhachkala – a meal for two runs $46 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,119 per month in Makhachkala versus $1,779 in Athens – Makhachkala is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,119 in Makhachkala versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Makhachkala but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Makhachkala 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 Makhachkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.