Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Az-Zarqa

For one person, living is cheaper in Az-Zarqa: $716 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Az-Zarqa
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Az-Zarqa Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Az-Zarqa

🇯🇴 Jordan

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $716 in Az-Zarqa.

Athens $1,779
Az-Zarqa $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,083 in Az-Zarqa.

Athens $2,721
Az-Zarqa $1,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,450 in Az-Zarqa.

Athens $3,663
Az-Zarqa $1,450

Living in Athens is roughly 149% more expensive than in Az-Zarqa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Az-Zarqa is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.30 JOD 3.04

291.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$24.92 JOD 17.64

164.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$5.59 JOD 3.95

100.54%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$0.80 JOD 0.57

410.00%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.44 JOD 0.31

529.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.35 JOD 0.25

54.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$4.16 JOD 2.95

37.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$10.85 JOD 7.68

-42.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.44 JOD 1.02

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.44 JOD 0.31

225.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.54 JOD 1.09

73.38%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.78 JOD 1.26

178.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$5.05 JOD 3.58

198.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.33 JOD 3.77

106.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$8.41 JOD 5.95

135.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.49 JOD 1.06

42.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.28 JOD 0.90

54.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.19 JOD 0.84

11.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.63 JOD 0.45

242.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.85 JOD 0.60

24.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.87 JOD 0.61

32.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.59 JOD 0.42

83.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.50 JOD 0.36

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.57 JOD 2.53

52.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$7.02 JOD 4.97

42.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$4.31 JOD 3.05

-52.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$4.28 JOD 3.03

-44.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.60 JOD 0.42

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$21.43 JOD 15.17

42.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.63 JOD 0.45

504.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.37 JOD 0.97

-24.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$5.03 JOD 3.56

227.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.46 JOD 1.03

60.27%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$16.9K JOD 11.9K

64.76%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$22.1K JOD 15.7K

20.22%

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

$202 €180

$132 JOD 93.6

52.93%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$12.99 JOD 9.20

106.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$28.75 JOD 20.35

6.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$28.65 JOD 20.28

88.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$13.83 JOD 9.79

98.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$9.75 JOD 6.90

7.08%

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

$568 €505

$213 JOD 151

166.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$4,297 JOD 3,041

253.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$21.45 JOD 15.18

322.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$13.97 JOD 9.89

181.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$44.20 JOD 31.28

138.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$40.72 JOD 28.82

216.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$164 JOD 116

351.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$123 JOD 86.9

428.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$305 JOD 216

316.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$243 JOD 172

361.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$564 JOD 399

609.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$348 JOD 246

842.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$499 JOD 353

149.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

6.94

-36.02%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Az-Zarqa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Az-Zarqa

$123 17.2% 81.1% $526

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Az-Zarqa

$179 25% 43.4% $137

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Az-Zarqa

$106 14.9% 60.8% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Az-Zarqa

$174 24.3% 33% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Az-Zarqa

$54 7.6% 67% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Az-Zarqa

$48 6.7% 35.8% $27

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Az-Zarqa

$31 4.4% 30.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $164 in Az-Zarqa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $25 in Az-Zarqa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $179 per month, with Az-Zarqa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇯🇴 Az-Zarqa

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

395,227

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Athens Az-Zarqa 1,300 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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-Zarqa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Az-Zarqa wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Az-Zarqa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 2.5 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 $164 in Az-Zarqa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Az-Zarqa – a meal for two runs $25 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $716 in Az-Zarqa – Az-Zarqa is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $716 in Az-Zarqa versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Az-Zarqa but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Az-Zarqa 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 Az-Zarqa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.