Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pogradec and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Pogradec: $816 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Pogradec
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Pogradec Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Pogradec

🇦🇱 Albania

$816

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $816 in Pogradec versus $1,771 in Athens.

Pogradec $816
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,350 in Pogradec versus $2,736 in Athens.

Pogradec $1,350
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,884 in Pogradec versus $3,701 in Athens.

Pogradec $1,884
Athens $3,701

Living in Pogradec costs roughly 54% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pogradec is 40% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.82 ALL 791

$16.83 €14.97

-41.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.52 ALL 3,183

$68.2 €60.7

-42.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 ALL 610

$11.43 €10.17

-33.77%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ALL 123

$4.06 €3.61

-62.56%

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

$1.78 ALL 143

$2.74 €2.44

-35.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ALL 52.0

$0.53 €0.47

22.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ALL 122

$5.69 €5.06

-73.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ALL 221

$5.68 €5.06

-51.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ALL 160

$1.85 €1.64

7.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ALL 78.1

$1.44 €1.28

-32.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ALL 166

$2.82 €2.51

-26.95%

Eggs

$2.20 ALL 177

$4.86 €4.32

-54.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 ALL 644

$15.27 €13.58

-47.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 ALL 355

$10.36 €9.21

-57.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ALL 1,125

$19.10 €16.99

-26.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 ALL 98.5

$2.22 €1.98

-45.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ALL 181

$1.92 €1.71

17.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ALL 123

$1.41 €1.25

7.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ALL 102

$2.04 €1.82

-38.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ALL 75.8

$1.05 €0.93

-10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ALL 83.2

$1.17 €1.04

-11.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ALL 83.6

$1.08 €0.96

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ALL 62.8

$0.84 €0.75

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ALL 343

$5.49 €4.89

-22.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 ALL 643

$10.17 €9.05

-21.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ALL 98.0

$2.13 €1.90

-42.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ALL 151

$2.28 €2.03

-17.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ALL 40.63

$1.37 €1.22

-63.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.68 ALL 1,504

$29.71 €26.43

-37.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ALL 300

$4.39 €3.90

-15.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 ALL 147

$1.00 €0.89

82.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.74 ALL 1,509

$16.63 €14.79

12.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 ALL 181

$2.38 €2.11

-5.46%

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

$34.0K ALL 2.7M

$28.4K €25.3K

19.78%

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

$24.5K ALL 2.0M

$27.2K €24.2K

-9.92%

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

$61.0 ALL 4,913

$203 €181

-70.01%

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

$16.58 ALL 1,335

$26.79 €23.83

-38.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.22 ALL 1,387

$30.16 €26.82

-42.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.88 ALL 2,889

$53.7 €47.74

-33.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 ALL 1,504

$26.40 €23.48

-29.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 ALL 679

$10.59 €9.42

-20.40%

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

$98.2 ALL 7,910

$566 €504

-82.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.70 ALL 4,002

$89.1 €79.3

-44.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ALL 4,523

$40.48 €36.01

38.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 ALL 7,916

$104 €92.3

-5.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 ALL 12.1K

$124 €111

20.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$185 ALL 14.9K

$729 €648

-74.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 ALL 9,902

$647 €576

-81.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ALL 29.8K

$1,328 €1,181

-72.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 ALL 20.0K

$1,169 €1,040

-78.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,597 ALL 128.6K

$4,024 €3,579

-60.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,467 ALL 118.2K

$3,483 €3,098

-57.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$476 ALL 38.4K

$1,240 €1,103

-61.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.61%

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

Last update for Pogradec: October 19, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pogradec

$211 25.8%

Athens

$312 17.6% 48.3% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Pogradec

$159 19.5%

Athens

$161 9.1% 1% $1.6

Eating Out

Pogradec

$142 17.4%

Athens

$271 15.3% 90.2% $128

Accommodation & Living

Pogradec

$123 15.1%

Athens

$647 36.5% 426% $524

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pogradec

$95 11.6%

Athens

$260 14.7% 175% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Pogradec

$53 6.5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 41.9% $22

Getting Around

Pogradec

$34 4.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 32.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $185 in Pogradec and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 160% 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: $40.00 in Pogradec vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $312 per month, with Pogradec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Pogradec

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

23:23 11:23 PM

1 h ahead of Pogradec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,848

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Pogradec Athens 420 km

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Pogradec
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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

Pogradec vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pogradec wins on cost – living expenses run 117% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pogradec the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 160% 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: $185 in Pogradec versus $729 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pogradec – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $816 per month in Pogradec versus $1,771 in Athens – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $816 in Pogradec versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pogradec but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Pogradec the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pogradec delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $816 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pogradec hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Pogradec 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 Pogradec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.