Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samarkand and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarkand: $641 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Samarkand
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Samarkand Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Samarkand

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$641

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $641 in Samarkand versus $1,779 in Athens.

Samarkand $641
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,014 in Samarkand versus $2,721 in Athens.

Samarkand $1,014
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,388 in Samarkand versus $3,663 in Athens.

Samarkand $1,388
Athens $3,663

Living in Samarkand costs roughly 64% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Samarkand is 53% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.85 UZS 82.0K

$16.83 €14.99

-59.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.76 UZS 236.6K

$66.0 €58.8

-70.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 UZS 56.1K

$11.21 €9.99

-58.25%

Cappuccino

$2.49 UZS 29.8K

$4.08 €3.64

-38.97%

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

$0.79 UZS 9,508

$2.77 €2.47

-71.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 UZS 2,032

$0.54 €0.48

-68.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 UZS 20.6K

$5.70 €5.08

-69.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 UZS 26.1K

$6.26 €5.58

-65.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 UZS 13.3K

$1.84 €1.64

-39.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 UZS 3,770

$1.43 €1.27

-78.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 UZS 20.0K

$2.67 €2.38

-37.45%

Eggs

$1.32 UZS 15.8K

$4.95 €4.41

-73.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 UZS 95.9K

$15.09 €13.45

-46.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.28 UZS 51.3K

$10.99 €9.79

-61.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.79 UZS 129.2K

$19.77 €17.61

-45.42%

Apples (1kg)

$0.81 UZS 9,759

$2.12 €1.89

-61.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 UZS 21.1K

$1.98 €1.76

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 UZS 20.6K

$1.33 €1.19

29.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 UZS 20.7K

$2.16 €1.92

-19.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 UZS 5,815

$1.06 €0.94

-53.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.17 UZS 2,007

$1.15 €1.02

-85.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.24 UZS 2,874

$1.08 €0.97

-77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 UZS 4,819

$0.85 €0.75

-52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.71 UZS 20.5K

$5.46 €4.86

-68.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.34 UZS 40.0K

$10.03 €8.93

-66.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 UZS 11.8K

$2.04 €1.82

-51.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 UZS 25.6K

$2.38 €2.12

-10.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 UZS 2,867

$1.35 €1.20

-82.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.34 UZS 39.9K

$30.52 €27.19

-89.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.35 UZS 4,224

$3.81 €3.39

-90.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 UZS 3,892

$1.03 €0.92

-68.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 UZS 41.1K

$16.49 €14.68

-79.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 UZS 14.4K

$2.34 €2.09

-48.72%

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

$17.7K UZS 211.4M

$27.8K €24.7K

-36.41%

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

$20.7K UZS 247.7M

$26.6K €23.7K

-22.26%

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

$41.05 UZS 491.6K

$202 €180

-79.70%

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

$3.99 UZS 47.8K

$26.81 €23.88

-85.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.48 UZS 161.4K

$30.49 €27.16

-55.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.79 UZS 476.5K

$54.1 €48.17

-26.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 UZS 82.2K

$27.40 €24.41

-74.93%

Cinema Ticket

$3.11 UZS 37.3K

$10.44 €9.30

-70.21%

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

$391 UZS 4.7M

$568 €506

-31.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,622 UZS 91.3M

$15.2K €13.5K

-49.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.69 UZS 247.8K

$90.7 €80.8

-77.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.93 UZS 502.1K

$39.32 €35.03

6.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 UZS 911.1K

$105 €93.7

-27.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 UZS 704.2K

$129 €115

-54.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 UZS 2.9M

$742 €661

-67.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 UZS 2.0M

$648 €578

-74.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 UZS 5.6M

$1,271 €1,132

-63.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 UZS 3.7M

$1,122 €999

-72.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,260 UZS 15.1M

$3,999 €3,562

-68.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$554 UZS 6.6M

$3,281 €2,923

-83.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$301 UZS 3.6M

$1,245 €1,109

-75.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.31

4.44

425.00%

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

Last update for Samarkand: 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

Samarkand

$168 26.2%

Athens

$648 36.4% 285% $480

Groceries & Markets

Samarkand

$158 24.6%

Athens

$316 17.8% 101% $159

Eating Out

Samarkand

$116 18%

Athens

$272 15.3% 135% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Samarkand

$89 13.9%

Athens

$164 9.2% 84.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samarkand

$59 9.1%

Athens

$260 14.6% 344% $201

Sport & Entertainment

Samarkand

$46 7.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 62.9% $29

Getting Around

Samarkand

$6.3 1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 616% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $242 in Samarkand and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Samarkand vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $158 vs $316 per month, with Samarkand cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇿 Samarkand

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

04:11 4:11 AM

3 h behind Samarkand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

573,200

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.44 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to UZS – Uzbekistani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇿 Uzbekistani Som (soʻm)

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 11,975 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD). 1 EUR = 13,443 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to UZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Samarkand Athens 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Samarkand
Athens

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

Samarkand vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samarkand wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Samarkand the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Samarkand. 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: $242 in Samarkand versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Samarkand – a meal for two runs $20 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $641 per month in Samarkand versus $1,779 in Athens – Samarkand is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $641 in Samarkand versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Samarkand but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Samarkand 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.

Safety-wise, Samarkand and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Samarkand gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.