Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Al-mawsil

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $597 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
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Al-mawsil Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $597 in Al-mawsil.

Athens $1,779
Al-mawsil $597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $906 in Al-mawsil.

Athens $2,721
Al-mawsil $906

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,214 in Al-mawsil.

Athens $3,663
Al-mawsil $1,214

Living in Athens is roughly 198% more expensive than in Al-mawsil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Al-mawsil is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.17 IQD 6,296

303.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$10.66 IQD 16.1K

519.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$4.81 IQD 7,265

133.06%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$0.68 IQD 1,029

500.00%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.32 IQD 482

765.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.18 IQD 265

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$0.81 IQD 1,224

603.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.34 IQD 2,029

367.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.69 IQD 1,037

166.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.65 IQD 976

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$0.58 IQD 872

360.34%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$0.95 IQD 1,435

421.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.22 IQD 10.9K

109.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$2.99 IQD 4,522

267.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$7.89 IQD 11.9K

150.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.68 IQD 1,031

211.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.68 IQD 1,033

191.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.49 IQD 738

171.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.24 IQD 364

800.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.27 IQD 410

292.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.32 IQD 482

259.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.60 IQD 911

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.52 IQD 779

63.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.61 IQD 2,425

239.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

-7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.48 IQD 2,237

37.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.86 IQD 2,810

27.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.35 IQD 523

285.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$25.92 IQD 39.2K

17.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.67 IQD 2,521

128.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.55 IQD 2,349

-33.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$3.98 IQD 6,008

314.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.29 IQD 432

706.90%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$13.4K IQD 20.2M

107.98%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$15.4K IQD 23.3M

72.29%

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

$202 €180

$90.9 IQD 137.3K

122.54%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

121.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

31.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

46.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

308.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$6.54 IQD 9,880

59.63%

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

$568 €505

$295 IQD 445.5K

92.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$589 IQD 889.3K

2479.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$16.58 IQD 25.1K

446.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$13.00 IQD 19.6K

202.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

77.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$16.06 IQD 24.3K

703.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$212 IQD 319.8K

250.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$139 IQD 210.0K

366.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$374 IQD 564.8K

240.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$314 IQD 475.0K

256.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$868 IQD 1.3M

361.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$491 IQD 741.2K

568.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$522 IQD 788.5K

138.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

2.53

75.49%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Al-mawsil

$139 23.3% 78.6% $509

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Al-mawsil

$133 22.3% 57.9% $183

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Al-mawsil

$65 10.8% 76.2% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Al-mawsil

$126 21.1% 51.4% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Al-mawsil

$47 7.9% 71.2% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4% 33.3% $25

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Al-mawsil

$37 6.2% 18.1% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $212 in Al-mawsil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.4 times 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 $11 in Al-mawsil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $133 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

12:05 12:05 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,683,000

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Athens Al-mawsil 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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

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

Al-mawsil is about 66% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Athens is about 2.4 times higher, 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 $212 in Al-mawsil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $295 in Al-mawsil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 138% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $597 in Al-mawsil versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-mawsil but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Al-mawsil 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 Al-mawsil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.