Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarande and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarande: $1,285 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Sarande
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Sarande Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Sarande

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,285

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Sarande versus $1,775 in Athens.

Sarande $1,285
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,181 in Sarande versus $2,721 in Athens.

Sarande $2,181
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,076 in Sarande versus $3,666 in Athens.

Sarande $3,076
Athens $3,666

Living in Sarande costs roughly 28% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sarande is 5% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.93 ALL 800

$16.69 €14.84

-40.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 ALL 4,392

$67.8 €60.3

-19.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 ALL 888

$11.14 €9.91

-0.99%

Cappuccino

$2.23 ALL 180

$4.03 €3.58

-44.67%

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

$2.44 ALL 197

$2.77 €2.46

-11.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 ALL 92.8

$0.55 €0.49

109.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 ALL 283

$5.74 €5.10

-38.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 ALL 332

$5.45 €4.85

-24.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ALL 175

$1.82 €1.62

19.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ALL 95.4

$1.38 €1.23

-14.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ALL 186

$2.80 €2.49

-17.50%

Eggs

$3.77 ALL 304

$4.83 €4.30

-21.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.44 ALL 1,002

$15.05 €13.39

-17.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 ALL 732

$10.63 €9.45

-14.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.98 ALL 1,368

$18.43 €16.39

-7.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 ALL 156

$2.20 €1.96

-11.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ALL 194

$1.90 €1.69

26.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ALL 160

$1.37 €1.22

44.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 ALL 147

$2.10 €1.87

-12.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 ALL 81.5

$1.08 €0.96

-6.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 ALL 103

$1.12 €1.00

15.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 ALL 119

$1.12 €1.00

32.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ALL 62.2

$0.88 €0.79

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.82 ALL 388

$5.48 €4.88

-12.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 ALL 601

$10.13 €9.01

-26.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ALL 129

$2.13 €1.89

-24.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ALL 166

$2.25 €2.00

-8.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ALL 88.7

$1.36 €1.21

-19.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.72 ALL 1,830

$29.89 €26.59

-23.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ALL 297

$4.45 €3.96

-17.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.56 ALL 287

$1.02 €0.90

249.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.51 ALL 1,491

$16.92 €15.05

9.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 ALL 180

$2.25 €2.00

-0.89%

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

$33.1K ALL 2.7M

$28.0K €24.9K

18.21%

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

$27.8K ALL 2.2M

$28.2K €25.1K

-1.66%

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

$99.9 ALL 8,043

$205 €182

-51.18%

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

$18.16 ALL 1,462

$26.65 €23.71

-31.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.41 ALL 1,563

$30.38 €27.02

-36.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.5 ALL 7,047

$54.5 €48.47

60.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.89 ALL 3,293

$25.88 €23.02

58.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.79 ALL 788

$10.42 €9.27

-6.05%

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

$296 ALL 23.8K

$569 €506

-48.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,951 ALL 640.3K

$12.6K €11.2K

-36.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 ALL 5,789

$88.7 €78.9

-18.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.68 ALL 3,839

$40.46 €35.99

17.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ALL 9,692

$105 €93.3

14.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ALL 8,958

$121 €108

-8.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$857 ALL 69.0K

$741 €659

15.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ALL 30.1K

$655 €582

-42.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 ALL 88.1K

$1,300 €1,156

-15.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 ALL 74.5K

$1,148 €1,021

-19.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,468 ALL 359.8K

$4,014 €3,570

11.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,840 ALL 228.7K

$3,460 €3,078

-17.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 ALL 60.9K

$1,242 €1,105

-39.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.48

20.31%

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

Last update for Sarande: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarande

$373 29.1%

Athens

$655 36.9% 75.3% $281

Groceries & Markets

Sarande

$281 21.9%

Athens

$310 17.5% 10.6% $30

Eating Out

Sarande

$180 14%

Athens

$268 15.1% 49.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Sarande

$158 12.3%

Athens

$160 9% 1.2% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarande

$137 10.7%

Athens

$262 14.7% 90.3% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Sarande

$107 8.3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 29.7% $32

Getting Around

Sarande

$49 3.8%

Athens

$45 2.5% 7.7% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $857 in Sarande and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 64% 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: $55.0 in Sarande vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $281 vs $310 per month, with Sarande cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Sarande

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

11:17 11:17 AM

1 h ahead of Sarande

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,233

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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sarande Athens 390 km

From you

Sarande
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

Sarande vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarande wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sarande the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 64% 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: $857 in Sarande versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sarande – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,285 per month in Sarande versus $1,775 in Athens – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Sarande versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sarande but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sarande the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sarande delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,285 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sarande hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sarande 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 Sarande gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.