Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ohrid and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Ohrid: $968 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ohrid
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Ohrid Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Ohrid

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$968

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $968 in Ohrid versus $1,775 in Athens.

Ohrid $968
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,539 in Ohrid versus $2,721 in Athens.

Ohrid $1,539
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,110 in Ohrid versus $3,666 in Athens.

Ohrid $2,110
Athens $3,666

Living in Ohrid costs roughly 45% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ohrid is 28% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.19 MKD 392

$16.69 €14.84

-56.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.12 MKD 1,970

$67.8 €60.3

-46.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 MKD 397

$11.14 €9.91

-34.74%

Cappuccino

$2.62 MKD 143

$4.03 €3.58

-34.99%

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

$2.93 MKD 160

$2.77 €2.46

5.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 MKD 100

$0.55 €0.49

234.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 MKD 202

$5.74 €5.10

-35.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MKD 244

$5.45 €4.85

-17.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 MKD 69.5

$1.82 €1.62

-30.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MKD 39.05

$1.38 €1.23

-47.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MKD 94.8

$2.80 €2.49

-37.86%

Eggs

$2.26 MKD 123

$4.83 €4.30

-53.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 MKD 450

$15.05 €13.39

-45.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 MKD 465

$10.63 €9.45

-19.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 MKD 803

$18.43 €16.39

-20.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 MKD 57.7

$2.20 €1.96

-51.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 MKD 68.5

$1.90 €1.69

-33.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 MKD 81.8

$1.37 €1.22

9.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 MKD 108

$2.10 €1.87

-5.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MKD 60.3

$1.08 €0.96

1.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MKD 74.1

$1.12 €1.00

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MKD 56.6

$1.12 €1.00

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MKD 42.94

$0.88 €0.79

-10.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 MKD 182

$5.48 €4.88

-39.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 MKD 304

$10.13 €9.01

-45.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MKD 59.5

$2.13 €1.89

-48.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 MKD 84.3

$2.25 €2.00

-31.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 MKD 57.9

$1.36 €1.21

-22.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.66 MKD 1,291

$29.89 €26.59

-20.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.5

$4.45 €3.96

-75.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 MKD 51.4

$1.02 €0.90

-7.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 MKD 481

$16.92 €15.05

-47.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MKD 81.6

$2.25 €2.00

-33.33%

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

$30.4K MKD 1.7M

$28.0K €24.9K

8.30%

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

$30.8K MKD 1.7M

$28.2K €25.1K

9.04%

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

$127 MKD 6,949

$205 €182

-37.74%

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

$17.88 MKD 975

$26.65 €23.71

-32.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.68 MKD 1,456

$30.38 €27.02

-12.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.72 MKD 1,839

$54.5 €48.47

-38.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 MKD 985

$25.88 €23.02

-30.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 MKD 337

$10.42 €9.27

-40.69%

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

$269 MKD 14.7K

$569 €506

-52.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,382 MKD 184.5K

$12.6K €11.2K

-73.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 MKD 5,196

$88.7 €78.9

7.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 MKD 2,909

$40.46 €35.99

31.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MKD 5,544

$105 €93.3

-3.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 MKD 7,348

$121 €108

11.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$286 MKD 15.6K

$741 €659

-61.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 MKD 9,269

$655 €582

-74.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 MKD 29.4K

$1,300 €1,156

-58.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 MKD 19.7K

$1,148 €1,021

-68.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,038 MKD 111.2K

$4,014 €3,570

-49.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 MKD 72.8K

$3,460 €3,078

-61.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 MKD 33.4K

$1,242 €1,105

-50.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.3

4.48

62.95%

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

Last update for Ohrid: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ohrid

$215 22.3%

Athens

$310 17.5% 44.1% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Ohrid

$173 17.9%

Athens

$160 9% 7.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ohrid

$172 17.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 52.2% $90

Accommodation & Living

Ohrid

$170 17.6%

Athens

$655 36.9% 285% $485

Eating Out

Ohrid

$157 16.3%

Athens

$268 15.1% 70.5% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Ohrid

$46 4.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 63.5% $29

Getting Around

Ohrid

$34 3.5%

Athens

$45 2.5% 33.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $286 in Ohrid and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 103% 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: $36.00 in Ohrid vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $310 per month, with Ohrid cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Ohrid

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

1 h ahead of Ohrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,940

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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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

Ohrid vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ohrid wins on cost – living expenses run 83% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ohrid the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 103% 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: $286 in Ohrid versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ohrid – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $968 per month in Ohrid versus $1,775 in Athens – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $968 in Ohrid versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ohrid but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Ohrid the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ohrid delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $968 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ohrid hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ohrid 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 Ohrid gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.