Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semey and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Semey: $707 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Semey
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Semey Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Semey

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$707

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $707 in Semey versus $1,779 in Athens.

Semey $707
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Semey versus $2,721 in Athens.

Semey $1,148
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,588 in Semey versus $3,663 in Athens.

Semey $1,588
Athens $3,663

Living in Semey costs roughly 60% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Semey is 48% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.91 ₸2,214

$16.83 €14.99

-70.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.29 ₸10.0K

$66.0 €58.8

-66.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.48 ₸2,468

$11.21 €9.99

-51.12%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ₸775

$4.08 €3.64

-57.84%

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

$0.77 ₸345

$2.77 €2.47

-72.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₸219

$0.54 €0.48

-9.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 ₸383

$5.70 €5.08

-85.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₸640

$6.26 €5.58

-77.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 ₸461

$1.84 €1.64

-44.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.36 ₸162

$1.43 €1.27

-74.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 ₸841

$2.67 €2.38

-29.96%

Eggs

$1.46 ₸657

$4.95 €4.41

-70.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.23 ₸2,355

$15.09 €13.45

-65.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 ₸1,675

$10.99 €9.79

-66.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.38 ₸2,424

$19.77 €17.61

-72.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 ₸559

$2.12 €1.89

-41.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ₸772

$1.98 €1.76

-13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 ₸783

$1.33 €1.19

30.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₸727

$2.16 €1.92

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 ₸186

$1.06 €0.94

-61.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₸274

$1.15 €1.02

-46.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₸540

$1.08 €0.97

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸449

$0.85 €0.75

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 ₸1,086

$5.46 €4.86

-55.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.04 ₸3,171

$10.03 €8.93

-29.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₸605

$2.04 €1.82

-34.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₸1,019

$2.38 €2.12

-5.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$1.35 €1.20

-81.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.39 ₸7,832

$30.52 €27.19

-43.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ₸613

$3.81 €3.39

-64.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ₸513

$1.03 €0.92

10.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.70 ₸3,017

$16.49 €14.68

-59.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 ₸287

$2.34 €2.09

-72.65%

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

$28.4K ₸12.8M

$27.8K €24.7K

2.42%

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

$25.8K ₸11.6M

$26.6K €23.7K

-3.11%

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

$33.68 ₸15.2K

$202 €180

-83.34%

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

$9.00 ₸4,053

$26.81 €23.88

-66.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.82 ₸8,477

$30.49 €27.16

-38.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.70 ₸19.2K

$54.1 €48.17

-21.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ₸5,043

$27.40 €24.41

-59.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 ₸1,989

$10.44 €9.30

-57.66%

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

$134 ₸60.5K

$568 €506

-76.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,445 ₸2.0M

$15.2K €13.5K

-70.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.87 ₸13.0K

$90.7 €80.8

-68.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.42 ₸11.4K

$39.32 €35.03

-35.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₸45.2K

$105 €93.7

-4.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.8 ₸33.7K

$129 €115

-42.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 ₸155.7K

$742 €661

-53.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 ₸100.7K

$648 €578

-65.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₸284.5K

$1,271 €1,132

-50.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₸220.4K

$1,122 €999

-56.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 ₸474.9K

$3,999 €3,562

-73.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$869 ₸391.6K

$3,281 €2,923

-73.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.25

4.44

333.56%

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

Last update for Semey: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Semey

$224 31.6%

Athens

$648 36.4% 190% $425

Groceries & Markets

Semey

$154 21.7%

Athens

$316 17.8% 106% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Semey

$103 14.6%

Athens

$164 9.2% 58.7% $61

Eating Out

Semey

$89 12.5%

Athens

$272 15.3% 207% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semey

$62 8.7%

Athens

$260 14.6% 322% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Semey

$52 7.3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 45.4% $23

Getting Around

Semey

$25 3.6%

Athens

$45 2.5% 76.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $346 in Semey and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Semey vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $154 vs $316 per month, with Semey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Semey

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

05:06 5:06 AM

3 h behind Semey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,456

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

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

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Semey Athens 4,590 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Semey
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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

Semey vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Semey wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Semey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,061 in Semey and $2,669 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $346 in Semey versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Semey – a meal for two runs $22 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $707 per month in Semey versus $1,779 in Athens – Semey is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $707 in Semey versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Semey but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Semey 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.

Expats usually find Semey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.