Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veles and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $768 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$768

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $768 in Veles versus $1,775 in Athens.

Veles $768
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,139 in Veles versus $2,721 in Athens.

Veles $1,139
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,510 in Veles versus $3,666 in Athens.

Veles $1,510
Athens $3,666

Living in Veles costs roughly 57% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Veles is 43% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.65 MKD 472

$16.69 €14.84

-48.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.00 MKD 982

$67.8 €60.3

-73.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 MKD 296

$11.14 €9.91

-51.26%

Cappuccino

$1.50 MKD 82.0

$4.03 €3.58

-62.78%

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

$1.32 MKD 72.0

$2.77 €2.46

-52.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MKD 43.42

$0.55 €0.49

45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 MKD 80.7

$5.74 €5.10

-74.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 165

$5.45 €4.85

-44.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 MKD 57.9

$1.82 €1.62

-41.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 MKD 27.74

$1.38 €1.23

-63.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 MKD 79.2

$2.80 €2.49

-48.21%

Eggs

$2.48 MKD 135

$4.83 €4.30

-48.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.96 MKD 162

$15.05 €13.39

-80.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 MKD 222

$10.63 €9.45

-61.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 MKD 824

$18.43 €16.39

-18.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.0

$2.20 €1.96

-35.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 77.9

$1.90 €1.69

-24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 MKD 75.2

$1.37 €1.22

0.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MKD 103

$2.10 €1.87

-10.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 MKD 46.16

$1.08 €0.96

-21.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.33

$1.12 €1.00

-25.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 31.96

$1.12 €1.00

-47.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.06

$0.88 €0.79

-32.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 MKD 182

$5.48 €4.88

-39.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.44 MKD 351

$10.13 €9.01

-36.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 57.8

$2.13 €1.89

-50.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MKD 81.0

$2.25 €2.00

-33.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MKD 43.05

$1.36 €1.21

-41.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.23 MKD 1,267

$29.89 €26.59

-22.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.3

$4.45 €3.96

-75.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MKD 33.44

$1.02 €0.90

-40.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 MKD 405

$16.92 €15.05

-56.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MKD 79.8

$2.25 €2.00

-35.11%

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

$26.8K MKD 1.5M

$28.0K €24.9K

-4.40%

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

$24.9K MKD 1.4M

$28.2K €25.1K

-11.93%

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

$108 MKD 5,901

$205 €182

-47.13%

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

$17.34 MKD 946

$26.65 €23.71

-34.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.02 MKD 655

$30.38 €27.02

-60.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.47 MKD 1,389

$54.5 €48.47

-53.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 MKD 972

$25.88 €23.02

-31.14%

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 MKD 184

$10.42 €9.27

-67.56%

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

$221 MKD 12.1K

$569 €506

-61.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,716 MKD 311.8K

$12.6K €11.2K

-54.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.99 MKD 1,199

$88.7 €78.9

-75.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.42 MKD 1,005

$40.46 €35.99

-54.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 MKD 3,940

$105 €93.3

-31.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 MKD 5,987

$121 €108

-9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 MKD 11.9K

$741 €659

-70.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 MKD 9,300

$655 €582

-73.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 MKD 15.8K

$1,300 €1,156

-77.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 MKD 12.9K

$1,148 €1,021

-79.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,174 MKD 64.0K

$4,014 €3,570

-70.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$933 MKD 50.9K

$3,460 €3,078

-73.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 MKD 32.4K

$1,242 €1,105

-52.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

4.48

-5.58%

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

Last update for Veles: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Veles

$171 22.3%

Athens

$310 17.5% 81.2% $139

Accommodation & Living

Veles

$170 22.2%

Athens

$655 36.9% 284% $484

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veles

$138 17.9%

Athens

$262 14.7% 90.2% $124

Eating Out

Veles

$125 16.4%

Athens

$268 15.1% 114% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Veles

$100 13%

Athens

$160 9% 59.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Veles

$32 4.2%

Athens

$75 4.2% 134% $43

Getting Around

Veles

$31 4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 46.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Veles and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 109% 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: $18.00 in Veles vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $310 per month, with Veles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Veles

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

1 h ahead of Veles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,716

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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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

Veles vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Veles wins on cost – living expenses run 131% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Veles the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 109% 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: $218 in Veles versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Veles – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $768 per month in Veles versus $1,775 in Athens – a 131% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $768 in Veles versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Veles but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Veles the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Veles delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $768 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Veles hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Veles 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 Veles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.