Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Arak

For one person, living is cheaper in Arak: $480 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Arak
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Arak Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Arak

🇮🇷 Iran

$480

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Arak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $480 in Arak.

Athens $1,779
Arak $480

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $755 in Arak.

Athens $2,721
Arak $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,030 in Arak.

Athens $3,663
Arak $1,030

Living in Athens is roughly 270% more expensive than in Arak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Arak is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$3.48 $3.48

383.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$12.94 $12.94

410.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$4.09 $4.09

174.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.67 $0.67

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.36 $1.36

200.00%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.48 $0.48

477.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$1.73 $1.73

-68.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.59 $0.59

211.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.58 $0.58

146.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.98 $1.98

34.85%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.22 $1.22

305.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$2.16 $2.16

598.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$2.52 $2.52

336.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$10.15 $10.15

94.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.76 $0.76

178.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.01 $1.01

96.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.65 $0.65

104.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.52 $0.52

315.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.41 $0.41

158.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.41 $0.41

180.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.48 $0.48

125.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.30 $0.30

183.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.54 $2.54

114.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.10 $0.10

1250.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$9.57 $9.57

218.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.23 $0.23

1556.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.10 $0.10

930.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$1.02 $1.02

1516.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.09 $0.09

2500.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$50.4K $50.4K

-44.93%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$35.0K $35.0K

-23.93%

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

$202 €180

$10.16 $10.16

1890.35%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$1.51 $1.51

1675.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$3.97 $3.97

668.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$9.83 $9.83

450.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$23.97 $23.97

14.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$1.10 $1.10

849.09%

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

$568 €506

$83.9 $83.9

576.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,318 $2,318

554.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$13.62 $13.62

565.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$8.59 $8.59

357.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$80.5 $80.5

30.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$52.2 $52.2

147.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$292 $292

154.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$210 $210

208.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$804 $804

58.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$358 $358

213.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,358 $1,358

194.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$644 $644

409.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$369 $369

237.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

18.5

-76.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Arak: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Arak

$210 43.8% 67.6% $438

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Arak

$97 20.1% 69.4% $220

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Arak

$65 13.6% 76% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Arak

$16 3.3% 94% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Arak

$70 14.5% 57.5% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Arak

$12 2.5% 83.9% $63

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Arak

$11 2.2% 76.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $292 in Arak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 3.4 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 $13 in Arak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $97 per month, with Arak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Arak

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

22:00 10:00 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

526,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Arak 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Arak

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 Arak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arak is about 73% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Athens is about 3.4 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 $292 in Arak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $480 in Arak – Arak is about 73% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arak runs roughly 69% less than in Athens. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $480 in Arak versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Arak but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Arak 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 Arak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.