Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Al-Rumaitha

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Rumaitha: $657 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
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Athens Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-Rumaitha
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Al-Rumaitha Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Al-Rumaitha

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $657 in Al-Rumaitha.

Athens $1,779
Al-Rumaitha $657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,028 in Al-Rumaitha.

Athens $2,721
Al-Rumaitha $1,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,399 in Al-Rumaitha.

Athens $3,663
Al-Rumaitha $1,399

Living in Athens is roughly 171% more expensive than in Al-Rumaitha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Al-Rumaitha is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.15 IQD 6,277

305.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$21.81 IQD 33.0K

202.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.08 IQD 9,194

84.38%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.47 IQD 3,731

65.18%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.38 IQD 582

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

$3.32 IQD 5,012

71.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.67 IQD 4,035

134.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.03 IQD 1,563

78.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.73 IQD 1,103

95.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.46 IQD 2,200

82.88%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.52 IQD 2,301

225.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$3.77 IQD 5,691

300.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.53 IQD 5,336

211.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$11.92 IQD 18.0K

65.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.98 IQD 1,488

116.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.01 IQD 1,519

96.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.96 IQD 1,444

38.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.63 IQD 950

242.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.54 IQD 820

96.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.59 IQD 884

94.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.60 IQD 909

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.47 IQD 711

80.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.65 IQD 2,489

230.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$11.19 IQD 16.9K

-10.37%

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

$1.80 IQD 2,720

32.22%

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

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.85 IQD 2,801

105.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.35 IQD 2,046

-23.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$5.60 IQD 8,457

194.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.54 IQD 821

333.33%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

70.74%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

61.11%

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

$202 €180

$86.0 IQD 130.0K

135.03%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

101.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$28.86 IQD 43.6K

5.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$37.31 IQD 56.4K

44.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$3.35 IQD 5,056

717.91%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$9.27 IQD 14.0K

12.62%

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

$568 €505

$148 IQD 223.6K

283.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,777 IQD 4.2M

446.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$20.97 IQD 31.7K

332.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$23.27 IQD 35.2K

68.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$58.9 IQD 89.0K

78.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$37.45 IQD 56.6K

244.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$207 IQD 312.7K

258.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$137 IQD 207.1K

373.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$375 IQD 566.8K

238.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$314 IQD 474.6K

257.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$845 IQD 1.3M

373.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$495 IQD 748.4K

562.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

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-Rumaitha: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Al-Rumaitha

$137 20.9% 78.9% $511

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Al-Rumaitha

$157 23.9% 50.4% $159

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Al-Rumaitha

$105 16.1% 61.2% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Al-Rumaitha

$128 19.5% 50.6% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Al-Rumaitha

$63 9.6% 61.4% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Al-Rumaitha

$56 8.5% 25.5% $19

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Al-Rumaitha

$10 * 1.5% 77.7% $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-Rumaitha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $22 in Al-Rumaitha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $157 per month, with Al-Rumaitha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Al-Rumaitha

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

115,431

💱 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-Rumaitha 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Athens
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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-Rumaitha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Rumaitha is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $985 in Al-Rumaitha to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

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

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $148 in Al-Rumaitha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-Rumaitha – a meal for two runs $22 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $657 in Al-Rumaitha versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-Rumaitha but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Rumaitha 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.