Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Podgorica and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Podgorica: $1,315 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,315

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,315 in Podgorica versus $1,806 in Athens.

Podgorica $1,315
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,079 in Podgorica versus $2,731 in Athens.

Podgorica $2,079
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,844 in Podgorica versus $3,656 in Athens.

Podgorica $2,844
Athens $3,656

Living in Podgorica costs roughly 27% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Podgorica is 2% below, Athens is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.18 €9.98

$16.66 €14.87

-32.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.17 €40.31

$66.2 €59.1

-31.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 €9.58

$11.06 €9.87

-2.98%

Cappuccino

$2.12 €1.89

$4.14 €3.69

-48.79%

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

$2.52 €2.25

$2.80 €2.50

-10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.57 €0.51

156.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 €2.73

$5.64 €5.03

-45.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$5.46 €4.87

-39.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.96 €1.75

-32.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.41 €1.26

-27.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.83 €2.53

-32.16%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.22

$5.04 €4.50

-28.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 €7.86

$15.35 €13.70

-42.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 €7.59

$10.34 €9.23

-17.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 €10.97

$18.97 €16.93

-35.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.17 €1.93

-25.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.91 €1.70

-14.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.38 €1.23

31.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.20 €1.96

5.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.10 €0.98

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.13 €1.00

-9.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.10 €0.99

30.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 €3.95

$5.60 €4.99

-21.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.10

$10.19 €9.09

-43.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.93

$2.18 €1.95

-52.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.45 €2.19

-30.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.38 €1.23

-25.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.52 €29.91

$30.87 €27.55

8.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 €0.65

$4.37 €3.90

-83.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.04 €0.93

-27.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.39 €10.16

$17.11 €15.27

-33.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.31 €2.07

-17.32%

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

$30.1K €26.8K

$28.0K €25.0K

7.47%

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

$26.4K €23.5K

$28.0K €25.0K

-5.90%

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

$126 €112

$210 €187

-39.90%

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

$19.15 €17.09

$26.70 €23.83

-28.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 €28.07

$30.13 €26.89

4.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.97 €43.70

$54.6 €48.72

-10.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.71 €12.24

$26.03 €23.23

-47.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 €5.81

$10.78 €9.62

-39.61%

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

$336 €300

$575 €513

-41.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,417 €6,619

$13.1K €11.7K

-43.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.1 €76.8

$93.2 €83.1

-7.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.19 €41.22

$40.68 €36.30

13.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$104 €92.9

-5.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.2

$128 €115

-15.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 €571

$756 €674

-15.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 €433

$652 €582

-25.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 €1,165

$1,294 €1,154

0.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 €883

$1,163 €1,038

-14.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,074 €2,743

$4,008 €3,577

-23.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,329 €2,078

$3,452 €3,081

-32.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,158 €1,033

$1,243 €1,110

-6.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

4.48

16.52%

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

Last update for Podgorica: October 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Podgorica

$485 36.4%

Athens

$652 36.5% 34.4% $167

Groceries & Markets

Podgorica

$229 17.2%

Athens

$315 17.6% 37.4% $86

Eating Out

Podgorica

$185 13.9%

Athens

$269 15% 45.3% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Podgorica

$177 13.3%

Athens

$267 14.9% 50.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Podgorica

$152 11.4%

Athens

$165 9.2% 8.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Podgorica

$62 4.7%

Athens

$76 4.3% 22.9% $14

Getting Around

Podgorica

$42 3.2%

Athens

$46 2.6% 9% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Podgorica and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 7% 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: $45.00 in Podgorica vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $315 per month, with Podgorica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h ahead of Podgorica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,799 Capital

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

Podgorica Athens 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Podgorica
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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

Podgorica vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 7% 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: $640 in Podgorica versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Podgorica – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,315 per month in Podgorica versus $1,806 in Athens – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,315 in Podgorica versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Podgorica but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Podgorica the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Podgorica delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,315 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Podgorica hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Podgorica 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 Podgorica 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.