Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Al-qardahah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $642 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
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Al-qardahah Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,779 per month in Athens vs $642 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Athens $1,779
Al-qardahah $642

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $1,016 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Athens $2,721
Al-qardahah $1,016

A family of three spends $3,663 per month in Athens vs $1,390 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Athens $3,663
Al-qardahah $1,390

Athens costs about 177% more than Al-qardahah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$10.06 SYP 1,222

67.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$42.56 SYP 5,171

55.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.89 SYP 837

62.70%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.64 SYP 442

12.09%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$2.23 SYP 272

24.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.86 SYP 105

-37.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.94 SYP 236

193.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.90 SYP 474

60.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.05 SYP 128

75.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.45 SYP 54.3

217.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.61 SYP 196

65.84%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.57 SYP 191

215.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$3.98 SYP 484

279.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.56 SYP 676

97.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$13.71 SYP 1,666

44.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.03 SYP 126

105.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.38 SYP 168

43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.14 SYP 138

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.07 SYP 130

101.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.79 SYP 95.6

34.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.76 SYP 91.9

51.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.44 SYP 53.5

145.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.66 SYP 80.1

28.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.71 SYP 329

101.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$4.94 SYP 600

103.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.15 SYP 140

77.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.81 SYP 342

-15.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.99 SYP 120

284.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.49 SYP 181

-30.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$7.80 SYP 948

111.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$3.63 SYP 441

-35.54%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$15.0K SYP 1.8M

84.96%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$19.3K SYP 2.4M

37.56%

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

$202 €180

$142 SYP 17.2K

42.53%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$9.67 SYP 1,175

177.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$45.85 SYP 5,571

-33.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.56 SYP 675

87.77%

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

$568 €505

$66.9 SYP 8,129

748.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$1,770 SYP 215.1K

757.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$28.37 SYP 3,448

219.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$39.44 SYP 4,793

-0.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$61.0 SYP 7,407

72.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$57.8 SYP 7,021

123.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

14.25

-68.84%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Al-qardahah: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Al-qardahah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Al-qardahah

$167 26% 47.3% $150

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Al-qardahah

$175 27.2% 35.7% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Al-qardahah

$197 30.7% 23.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Al-qardahah

$84 13.1% 48.8% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.7% 85.2% $64

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Al-qardahah

$8.4 * 1.3% 81.2% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Athens versus $43 in Al-qardahah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $167 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

14:39 2:39 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Al-qardahah 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Al-qardahah

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-qardahah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Athens is pricier by about 177%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,669 per month in Athens and $963 in Al-qardahah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Athens and $43 in Al-qardahah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 90% more in Athens, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $642, than in Athens at $1,779. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Athens has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $642 in Al-qardahah to $1,779 in Athens. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.