Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Al Kufah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kufah: $703 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Al Kufah
Learn more

Al Kufah Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $703 in Al Kufah.

Athens $1,779
Al Kufah $703

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,047 in Al Kufah.

Athens $2,721
Al Kufah $1,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,392 in Al Kufah.

Athens $3,663
Al Kufah $1,392

Living in Athens is roughly 153% more expensive than in Al Kufah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.50 IQD 6,796

274.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$26.23 IQD 39.6K

151.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.59 IQD 9,955

70.11%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.72 IQD 4,113

50.00%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.38 IQD 574

628.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.20 IQD 302

170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$3.26 IQD 4,928

74.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.24 IQD 4,890

93.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.95 IQD 1,429

93.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.64 IQD 974

123.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.38 IQD 2,084

93.48%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.62 IQD 2,451

205.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$2.06 IQD 3,110

632.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.95 IQD 5,964

178.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$7.83 IQD 11.8K

152.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.64 IQD 972

231.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.91 IQD 1,377

117.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.55 IQD 839

141.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.52 IQD 789

315.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.47 IQD 703

125.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.31 IQD 463

270.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.17 IQD 255

535.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.48 IQD 727

77.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.52 IQD 2,293

259.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$11.58 IQD 17.5K

-13.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.01 IQD 3,032

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.96 IQD 2,965

21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.35 IQD 522

285.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.94 IQD 2,934

96.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.35 IQD 2,042

-23.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

143.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.52 IQD 786

350.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

70.53%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

59.13%

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

$202 €180

$188 IQD 284.6K

7.36%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

35.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$19.43 IQD 29.4K

56.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$15.06 IQD 22.8K

259.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$10.10 IQD 15.3K

3.37%

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

$568 €505

$71.6 IQD 108.1K

693.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,117 IQD 3.2M

617.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$9.84 IQD 14.9K

821.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$29.68 IQD 44.9K

32.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$19.81 IQD 29.9K

431.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$35.13 IQD 53.1K

267.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$207 IQD 312.1K

259.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$137 IQD 207.5K

372.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$379 IQD 573.3K

235.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$308 IQD 466.0K

263.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,258 IQD 1.9M

217.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$489 IQD 738.8K

570.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$909 IQD 1.4M

37.04%

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 Kufah: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Al Kufah

$137 19.5% 78.8% $511

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Al Kufah

$136 19.4% 56.9% $180

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Al Kufah

$114 16.2% 58.2% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Al Kufah

$228 32.4% 12.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Al Kufah

$43 6.1% 74.1% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Al Kufah

$35 5% 53% $40

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Al Kufah

$10 * 1.4% 77.5% $35

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 $742 in Athens and $207 in Al Kufah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 37% 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: $66 in Athens vs $26 in Al Kufah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $136 per month, with Al Kufah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Al Kufah

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

230,000

💱 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 Kufah 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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

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

Al Kufah is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $207 in Al Kufah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 132% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $703 in Al Kufah – Al Kufah is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $703 in Al Kufah versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Kufah but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Al Kufah 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.

It comes down to priorities – Al Kufah wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.