Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Volgograd and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Volgograd: $888 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Volgograd
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Volgograd Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Volgograd

🇷🇺 Russia

$888

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $888 in Volgograd versus $1,779 in Athens.

Volgograd $888
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,473 in Volgograd versus $2,721 in Athens.

Volgograd $1,473
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,058 in Volgograd versus $3,663 in Athens.

Volgograd $2,058
Athens $3,663

Living in Volgograd costs roughly 50% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Volgograd is 34% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.65 ₽542

$16.83 €14.99

-60.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.67 ₽4,051

$66.0 €58.8

-24.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₽531

$11.21 €9.98

-41.93%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ₽220

$4.08 €3.64

-34.07%

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

$0.99 ₽80.9

$2.77 €2.47

-64.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₽52.1

$0.54 €0.48

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₽92.6

$5.70 €5.07

-80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₽155

$6.26 €5.58

-69.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ₽88.1

$1.84 €1.64

-41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 ₽46.36

$1.43 €1.27

-60.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ₽95.0

$2.67 €2.38

-56.18%

Eggs

$1.43 ₽117

$4.95 €4.41

-71.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 ₽598

$15.09 €13.44

-51.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 ₽399

$10.99 €9.79

-55.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.87 ₽968

$19.77 €17.60

-39.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 ₽104

$2.12 €1.89

-40.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₽128

$1.98 €1.76

-20.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ₽118

$1.33 €1.18

8.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 ₽214

$2.16 €1.92

21.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ₽58.9

$1.06 €0.94

-32.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ₽38.78

$1.15 €1.02

-58.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 ₽31.45

$1.08 €0.96

-63.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₽50.5

$0.85 €0.75

-27.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₽239

$5.46 €4.86

-46.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.40 ₽767

$10.03 €8.93

-6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 ₽88.7

$2.04 €1.82

-46.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₽164

$2.38 €2.12

-15.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₽38.53

$1.35 €1.20

-65.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.06 ₽1,391

$30.52 €27.18

-44.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ₽250

$16.49 €14.68

-81.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₽67.4

$2.34 €2.09

-64.53%

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

$54.6K ₽4.5M

$27.8K €24.7K

96.56%

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

$41.5K ₽3.4M

$26.6K €23.7K

55.88%

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

$86.7 ₽7,073

$202 €180

-57.12%

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

$10.33 ₽842

$26.81 €23.87

-61.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.91 ₽645

$30.49 €27.14

-74.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

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

$568 €505

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 ₽9,184

$90.7 €80.7

24.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.0 ₽6,116

$39.32 €35.01

90.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.8 ₽4,471

$105 €93.7

-47.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 ₽15.1K

$129 €115

43.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 ₽49.9K

$742 €661

-17.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ₽21.7K

$648 €577

-58.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 ₽99.1K

$1,271 €1,132

-4.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 ₽45.7K

$1,122 €999

-50.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,494 ₽121.9K

$3,999 €3,561

-62.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,329 ₽108.4K

$3,281 €2,921

-59.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$607 ₽49.5K

$1,245 €1,109

-51.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

4.44

380.41%

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

Last update for Volgograd: 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

Volgograd

$266 30%

Athens

$648 36.4% 144% $382

Clothing & Footwear

Volgograd

$192 21.7%

Athens

$164 9.2% 14.8% $29

Groceries & Markets

Volgograd

$184 20.7%

Athens

$316 17.8% 71.9% $132

Eating Out

Volgograd

$121 13.6%

Athens

$272 15.3% 124% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Volgograd

$105 11.8%

Athens

$260 14.6% 147% $155

Getting Around

Volgograd

$19 * 2.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 137% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Volgograd

- * 0%

Athens

$75 4.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $611 in Volgograd and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Volgograd vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $316 per month, with Volgograd cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Volgograd

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

1 h behind Volgograd

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,004,763

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.23 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 = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Volgograd Athens 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Volgograd
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

Volgograd vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Volgograd wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Volgograd the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Volgograd. 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: $611 in Volgograd versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Volgograd – a meal for two runs $50 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Volgograd runs roughly 44% less than in Athens. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $888 in Volgograd versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Volgograd but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Volgograd 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 Volgograd gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.