Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Az-zabadani

For one person, living is cheaper in Az-zabadani: $643 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 Az-zabadani
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Az-zabadani Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Az-zabadani

🇸🇾 Syria

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Az-zabadani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $643 in Az-zabadani.

Athens $1,779
Az-zabadani $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,016 in Az-zabadani.

Athens $2,721
Az-zabadani $1,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,390 in Az-zabadani.

Athens $3,663
Az-zabadani $1,390

Living in Athens is roughly 177% more expensive than in Az-zabadani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Az-zabadani is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$9.98 SYP 1,213

68.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$42.01 SYP 5,106

57.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.91 SYP 840

62.23%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.82 SYP 464

6.81%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$2.20 SYP 267

25.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.82 SYP 99.5

-34.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.96 SYP 238

190.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$4.04 SYP 491

54.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.02 SYP 124

80.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.45 SYP 54.8

217.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.53 SYP 186

74.51%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.58 SYP 192

213.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$3.98 SYP 483

279.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.68 SYP 691

93.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$13.52 SYP 1,643

46.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.07 SYP 130

98.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.41 SYP 171

40.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.14 SYP 139

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.06 SYP 129

103.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.74 SYP 90.3

43.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.76 SYP 92.0

51.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.40 SYP 48.58

170.00%

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

$2.69 SYP 327

102.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$4.93 SYP 599

103.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.14 SYP 139

78.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.80 SYP 340

-15.00%

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

$0.97 SYP 118

292.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.54 SYP 187

-33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$7.74 SYP 940

113.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$3.70 SYP 450

-36.76%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

83.80%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$18.9K SYP 2.3M

40.72%

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

$202 €180

$140 SYP 17.0K

44.77%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$9.83 SYP 1,194

172.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$46.53 SYP 5,655

-34.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.36 SYP 651

94.78%

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

$568 €505

$65.9 SYP 8,005

761.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$1,782 SYP 216.6K

751.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$29.00 SYP 3,524

212.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$40.16 SYP 4,881

-2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$61.0 SYP 7,408

72.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$58.4 SYP 7,097

120.84%

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 Az-zabadani: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Az-zabadani

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Az-zabadani

$166 25.9% 47.5% $150

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Az-zabadani

$176 27.4% 35.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Az-zabadani

$196 30.5% 24.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Az-zabadani

$85 13.2% 48.2% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Az-zabadani

$11 * 1.7% 85.7% $64

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Az-zabadani

$8.7 * 1.4% 80.7% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $42 in Az-zabadani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $166 per month, with Az-zabadani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇾 Az-zabadani

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

26,285

💱 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

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Between locations

Athens Az-zabadani 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Az-zabadani

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 Az-zabadani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Az-zabadani wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Az-zabadani the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $964 in Az-zabadani 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.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $66 in Az-zabadani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Az-zabadani – a meal for two runs $42 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $643 in Az-zabadani versus $1,779 in Athens, a $800 budget is realistic in Az-zabadani but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Az-zabadani 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.