Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rostov-on-Don and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Rostov-on-Don: $1,036 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Rostov-on-Don
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Rostov-on-Don Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Rostov-on-Don

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,036

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,036 in Rostov-on-Don versus $1,779 in Athens.

Rostov-on-Don $1,036
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,517 in Rostov-on-Don versus $2,721 in Athens.

Rostov-on-Don $1,517
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,998 in Rostov-on-Don versus $3,663 in Athens.

Rostov-on-Don $1,998
Athens $3,663

Living in Rostov-on-Don costs roughly 42% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rostov-on-Don is 23% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.03 ₽904

$16.83 €15.06

-34.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.49 ₽2,088

$66.0 €59.1

-61.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.99 ₽491

$11.21 €10.03

-46.57%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ₽251

$4.08 €3.65

-24.75%

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

$1.10 ₽89.9

$2.77 €2.48

-60.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₽39.03

$0.54 €0.48

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 ₽98.4

$5.70 €5.10

-78.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 ₽273

$6.26 €5.60

-46.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 ₽97.0

$1.84 €1.65

-35.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 ₽56.0

$1.43 €1.28

-52.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 ₽101

$2.67 €2.39

-53.93%

Eggs

$1.52 ₽124

$4.95 €4.43

-69.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 ₽796

$15.09 €13.51

-35.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 ₽367

$10.99 €9.83

-59.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 ₽604

$19.77 €17.69

-62.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 ₽119

$2.12 €1.90

-31.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 ₽158

$1.98 €1.77

-2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 ₽102

$1.33 €1.19

-6.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 ₽189

$2.16 €1.93

6.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ₽52.2

$1.06 €0.95

-39.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ₽36.21

$1.15 €1.03

-61.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₽84.0

$1.08 €0.97

-4.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₽46.73

$0.85 €0.76

-32.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ₽227

$5.46 €4.88

-49.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.12 ₽501

$10.03 €8.97

-38.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ₽68.5

$2.04 €1.83

-58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₽133

$2.38 €2.13

-31.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ₽42.48

$1.35 €1.21

-61.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.25 ₽1,905

$30.52 €27.31

-23.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ₽247

$3.81 €3.41

-20.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₽18.00

$1.03 €0.92

-78.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 ₽147

$16.49 €14.75

-89.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₽68.0

$2.34 €2.10

-64.53%

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

$54.5K ₽4.5M

$27.8K €24.8K

96.36%

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

$41.0K ₽3.4M

$26.6K €23.8K

54.12%

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

$130 ₽10.6K

$202 €181

-35.91%

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

$7.12 ₽584

$26.81 €23.99

-73.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.83 ₽723

$30.49 €27.28

-71.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.23 ₽2,886

$54.1 €48.38

-34.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.17 ₽1,407

$27.40 €24.52

-37.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.25 ₽430

$10.44 €9.34

-49.71%

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

$259 ₽21.2K

$568 €508

-54.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,497 ₽450.3K

$15.2K €13.6K

-63.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 ₽4,466

$90.7 €81.1

-39.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.63 ₽1,526

$39.32 €35.19

-52.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 ₽7,528

$105 €94.1

-12.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 ₽7,135

$129 €115

-32.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₽36.6K

$742 €664

-39.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 ₽30.1K

$648 €580

-43.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 ₽51.0K

$1,271 €1,138

-51.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 ₽46.1K

$1,122 €1,004

-49.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,714 ₽222.4K

$3,999 €3,578

-32.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,638 ₽134.2K

$3,281 €2,936

-50.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$904 ₽74.1K

$1,245 €1,114

-27.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.83

4.44

346.62%

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

Last update for Rostov-on-Don: 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

Rostov-on-Don

$367 35.5%

Athens

$648 36.4% 76.5% $281

Groceries & Markets

Rostov-on-Don

$172 16.6%

Athens

$316 17.8% 83.8% $144

Eating Out

Rostov-on-Don

$162 15.6%

Athens

$272 15.3% 67.6% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rostov-on-Don

$146 14.1%

Athens

$260 14.6% 78.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Rostov-on-Don

$113 11%

Athens

$164 9.2% 44.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Rostov-on-Don

$46 4.4%

Athens

$75 4.2% 63.9% $29

Getting Around

Rostov-on-Don

$29 2.8%

Athens

$45 2.5% 52.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $447 in Rostov-on-Don and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 38% 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: $25 in Rostov-on-Don vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $316 per month, with Rostov-on-Don cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Rostov-on-Don

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

1 h behind Rostov-on-Don

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,114,806

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 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 = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 92.01 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RUB in detail →

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Rostov-on-Don Athens 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Rostov-on-Don
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

Rostov-on-Don vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rostov-on-Don wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rostov-on-Don the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Rostov-on-Don. 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: $447 in Rostov-on-Don versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rostov-on-Don – a meal for two runs $25 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,036 per month in Rostov-on-Don versus $1,779 in Athens – Rostov-on-Don is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Rostov-on-Don delivers better value at $1,036 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rostov-on-Don hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rostov-on-Don gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.