Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and As Samawah

For one person, living is cheaper in As Samawah: $651 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 As Samawah
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As Samawah Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

As Samawah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in As Samawah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $651 in As Samawah.

Athens $1,779
As Samawah $651

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,052 in As Samawah.

Athens $2,721
As Samawah $1,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,452 in As Samawah.

Athens $3,663
As Samawah $1,452

Living in Athens is roughly 173% more expensive than in As Samawah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, As Samawah is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.66 IQD 7,041

261.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$26.87 IQD 40.6K

145.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.63 IQD 10.0K

69.08%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.82 IQD 4,266

44.68%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.35 IQD 522

691.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.19 IQD 281

184.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$3.36 IQD 5,079

69.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.24 IQD 4,889

93.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.90 IQD 1,367

104.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.63 IQD 951

126.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.31 IQD 1,978

103.82%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.61 IQD 2,436

207.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$1.34 IQD 2,019

1026.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.02 IQD 6,070

173.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$11.86 IQD 17.9K

66.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.96 IQD 1,455

120.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.92 IQD 1,383

115.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.83 IQD 1,256

60.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.40 IQD 606

440.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.52 IQD 784

103.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.56 IQD 851

105.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.59 IQD 892

83.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.58 IQD 878

46.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.69 IQD 2,548

223.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$6.66 IQD 10.1K

50.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.97 IQD 2,973

3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.89 IQD 2,854

25.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.34 IQD 517

297.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$19.98 IQD 30.2K

52.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.96 IQD 2,968

94.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.28 IQD 1,940

-19.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.61 IQD 3,937

531.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.57 IQD 866

310.53%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

65.90%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

59.98%

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

$202 €180

$69.4 IQD 104.9K

191.43%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$16.69 IQD 25.2K

60.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$16.78 IQD 25.3K

81.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

48.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$16.68 IQD 25.2K

64.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$7.81 IQD 11.8K

33.67%

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

$568 €505

$49.72 IQD 75.1K

1041.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$1,297 IQD 2.0M

1070.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$25.54 IQD 38.6K

254.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$33.33 IQD 50.4K

17.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$58.9 IQD 89.0K

78.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$41.08 IQD 62.1K

213.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$209 IQD 316.2K

254.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$137 IQD 207.7K

371.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$168 IQD 254.1K

656.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$309 IQD 467.1K

262.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$867 IQD 1.3M

361.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$496 IQD 750.1K

560.93%

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 As Samawah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

As Samawah

$137 21.1% 78.8% $511

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

As Samawah

$141 21.7% 55.3% $175

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

As Samawah

$116 17.9% 57.1% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

As Samawah

$103 15.8% 60.4% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

As Samawah

$71 11% 56.4% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

As Samawah

$52 8% 30.5% $23

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

As Samawah

$30 4.6% 33.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $209 in As Samawah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $27 in As Samawah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $141 per month, with As Samawah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 As Samawah

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

13:34 1:34 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

250,000

💱 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 As Samawah 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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 As Samawah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $977 in As Samawah 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 $209 in As Samawah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in As Samawah runs roughly 35% less than in Athens. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $50 in As Samawah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $651 in As Samawah versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in As Samawah but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes As Samawah 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 As Samawah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.