Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Al Hillah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Hillah: $702 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.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Al Hillah
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Al Hillah Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Al Hillah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$702

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Al Hillah

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 Hillah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,779 per month in Athens vs $702 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Athens $1,779
Al Hillah $702

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $1,071 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Athens $2,721
Al Hillah $1,071

A family of three spends $3,663 per month in Athens vs $1,440 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Athens $3,663
Al Hillah $1,440

Athens costs about 154% more than Al Hillah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Athens sits 32% above the global median, while Al Hillah is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.53 IQD 6,848

271.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$26.15 IQD 39.5K

152.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$5.72 IQD 8,637

95.98%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.83 IQD 4,280

44.17%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.34 IQD 519

714.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.19 IQD 294

184.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.68 IQD 4,052

112.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.27 IQD 4,943

91.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.96 IQD 1,445

91.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.64 IQD 966

123.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.32 IQD 2,000

102.27%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.60 IQD 2,411

209.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$3.31 IQD 5,006

355.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.20 IQD 6,343

161.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$12.45 IQD 18.8K

58.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.97 IQD 1,464

118.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.96 IQD 1,448

106.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.94 IQD 1,422

41.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.64 IQD 962

237.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.58 IQD 883

82.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.61 IQD 916

88.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.52 IQD 790

107.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.49 IQD 735

73.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.68 IQD 2,535

225.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$11.63 IQD 17.6K

-13.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.00 IQD 3,017

2.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.88 IQD 2,844

26.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.34 IQD 520

297.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$56.1 IQD 84.8K

-45.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.93 IQD 2,915

97.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.28 IQD 1,939

-19.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.96 IQD 4,471

457.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.49 IQD 741

377.55%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$15.1K IQD 22.8M

84.10%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

61.18%

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

$202 €180

$64.8 IQD 98.0K

211.88%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$13.38 IQD 20.2K

100.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$33.40 IQD 50.5K

-8.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$19.87 IQD 30.0K

172.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$16.64 IQD 25.1K

64.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$6.45 IQD 9,747

61.86%

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

$568 €505

$81.5 IQD 123.2K

595.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$658 IQD 993.9K

2207.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$19.43 IQD 29.4K

366.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$21.21 IQD 32.1K

85.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$58.8 IQD 88.8K

78.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$42.50 IQD 64.2K

203.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$238 IQD 358.9K

212.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$157 IQD 237.0K

313.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$421 IQD 636.0K

202.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$250 IQD 377.5K

348.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,514 IQD 2.3M

164.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$479 IQD 724.2K

584.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$436 IQD 658.2K

185.84%

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 Hillah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Al Hillah

$157 22.4% 75.8% $492

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Al Hillah

$161 23% 49% $155

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Al Hillah

$110 15.6% 59.7% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Al Hillah

$112 15.9% 57% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Al Hillah

$64 9.1% 61% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Al Hillah

$33 4.7% 56.3% $42

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Al Hillah

$66 9.4% 46.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $742 in Athens versus $238 in Al Hillah. 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 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Athens versus $26 in Al Hillah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $161 – making Al Hillah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Al Hillah

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,729,666

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 = 1,696 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Al Hillah 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Al Hillah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Athens is pricier by about 154%, 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 $1,053 in Al Hillah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Hillah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $238 there versus $742 in Athens.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Athens. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $568 per month in Athens and $82 in Al Hillah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al Hillah, where all-in costs run around $702, than in Athens at $1,779. In Al Hillah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Hillah – 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 Hillah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Athens makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.