Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Al-'amarah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-’amarah: $654 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
Learn more

Al-'amarah Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Al-'amarah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Al-'amarah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,779 per month in Athens vs $654 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Athens $1,779
Al-'amarah $654

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $1,021 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Athens $2,721
Al-'amarah $1,021

A family of three spends $3,663 per month in Athens vs $1,388 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Athens $3,663
Al-'amarah $1,388

Athens costs about 172% more than Al-’amarah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Athens sits 32% above the global median, while Al-’amarah is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.01 IQD 6,059

319.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$21.19 IQD 32.0K

211.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.28 IQD 9,494

78.50%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.47 IQD 3,735

65.18%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.35 IQD 531

691.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.22 IQD 332

145.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$3.33 IQD 5,038

71.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.57 IQD 3,891

143.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.98 IQD 1,485

87.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.73 IQD 1,110

95.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.39 IQD 2,106

92.09%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.61 IQD 2,428

207.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$3.92 IQD 5,920

284.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.51 IQD 5,297

213.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$12.00 IQD 18.1K

64.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.93 IQD 1,412

127.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.00 IQD 1,511

98.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.96 IQD 1,451

38.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.63 IQD 959

242.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.59 IQD 890

79.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.59 IQD 884

94.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.61 IQD 921

77.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.48 IQD 723

77.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.66 IQD 2,510

228.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$11.32 IQD 17.1K

-11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.57 IQD 2,378

29.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.79 IQD 2,707

32.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.34 IQD 515

297.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.80 IQD 2,718

111.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.36 IQD 2,054

-24.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$5.49 IQD 8,296

200.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.54 IQD 809

333.33%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

70.01%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

56.79%

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

$202 €180

$86.6 IQD 130.8K

133.56%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

102.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$28.99 IQD 43.8K

5.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$37.08 IQD 56.0K

45.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$8.89 IQD 13.4K

17.44%

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

$568 €505

$144 IQD 217.4K

294.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,770 IQD 4.2M

448.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$20.92 IQD 31.6K

333.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$22.79 IQD 34.4K

72.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$58.3 IQD 88.1K

80.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$38.00 IQD 57.4K

239.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$207 IQD 312.4K

258.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$136 IQD 205.2K

377.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$382 IQD 576.6K

233.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$312 IQD 471.7K

259.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$867 IQD 1.3M

361.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$500 IQD 754.8K

556.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$441 IQD 666.0K

182.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

4.12

7.77%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Al-'amarah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Al-'amarah

$136 20.8% 79.1% $513

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Al-'amarah

$157 24% 50.3% $159

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Al-'amarah

$105 16% 61.4% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Al-'amarah

$129 19.7% 50.4% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Al-'amarah

$63 9.6% 61.5% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Al-'amarah

$55 8.4% 26.8% $20

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Al-'amarah

$10 * 1.5% 77.8% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $742 in Athens versus $207 in Al-’amarah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Athens are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Athens versus $21 in Al-’amarah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $157 – making Al-’amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

511,542

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,697 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Al-'amarah 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Al-'amarah

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

Athens vs Al-'amarah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Athens is pricier by about 172%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,669 per month in Athens and $982 in Al-’amarah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-’amarah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $207 there versus $742 in Athens.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Athens and $21 in Al-’amarah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 101% more in Athens, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-’amarah, where all-in costs run around $654, than in Athens at $1,779. In Al-’amarah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-’amarah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Al-’amarah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Athens makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.