Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Az Zubayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Az Zubayr: $655 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 Az Zubayr
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Az Zubayr Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Az Zubayr

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $655 in Az Zubayr.

Athens $1,779
Az Zubayr $655

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,023 in Az Zubayr.

Athens $2,721
Az Zubayr $1,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,391 in Az Zubayr.

Athens $3,663
Az Zubayr $1,391

Living in Athens is roughly 172% more expensive than in Az Zubayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.06

$4.06 IQD 6,130

314.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €59.1

$21.51 IQD 32.5K

206.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €10.03

$6.44 IQD 9,731

74.07%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.65

$2.36 IQD 3,562

72.88%

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

$2.77 €2.48

$0.39 IQD 583

610.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.20 IQD 302

170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.10

$3.38 IQD 5,101

68.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.60

$2.63 IQD 3,967

138.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.04 IQD 1,567

76.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.73 IQD 1,099

95.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$1.44 IQD 2,179

85.42%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.43

$1.60 IQD 2,416

209.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.51

$3.89 IQD 5,872

287.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.83

$3.65 IQD 5,511

201.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.69

$11.96 IQD 18.1K

65.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$0.99 IQD 1,503

114.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.00 IQD 1,505

98.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.90 IQD 1,361

47.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$0.68 IQD 1,025

217.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.58 IQD 881

82.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.61 IQD 925

88.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.57 IQD 867

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.51 IQD 765

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.88

$1.64 IQD 2,475

232.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.97

$11.32 IQD 17.1K

-11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.51 IQD 2,288

35.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.80 IQD 2,718

32.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.32 IQD 480

321.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.31

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.41

$1.86 IQD 2,814

104.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.28 IQD 1,937

-19.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.75

$5.58 IQD 8,428

195.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$0.54 IQD 812

333.33%

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

$27.8K €24.8K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

65.03%

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

$26.6K €23.8K

$16.4K IQD 24.9M

61.74%

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

$202 €181

$86.1 IQD 130.0K

134.98%

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

$26.81 €23.99

$13.49 IQD 20.4K

98.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.28

$28.68 IQD 43.3K

6.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.38

$36.54 IQD 55.2K

47.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.52

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.34

$9.29 IQD 14.0K

12.38%

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

$568 €508

$145 IQD 219.0K

291.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.6K

$2,796 IQD 4.2M

443.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €81.1

$20.75 IQD 31.4K

336.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.19

$22.82 IQD 34.5K

72.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$59.2 IQD 89.4K

77.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$37.13 IQD 56.1K

247.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €664

$204 IQD 308.7K

263.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €580

$136 IQD 205.9K

375.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,138

$381 IQD 575.6K

233.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,004

$312 IQD 470.7K

260.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,578

$855 IQD 1.3M

367.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,936

$488 IQD 736.8K

572.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,114

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 Az Zubayr: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Az Zubayr

$136 20.8% 79% $512

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Az Zubayr

$159 24.2% 49.8% $158

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Az Zubayr

$105 16% 61.5% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Az Zubayr

$128 19.6% 50.6% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Az Zubayr

$63 9.6% 61.6% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Az Zubayr

$55 8.4% 26.5% $20

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Az Zubayr

$9.5 * 1.5% 78.7% $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 $204 in Az Zubayr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $22 in Az Zubayr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $159 per month, with Az Zubayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

02:20 2:20 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

370,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 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 = 0.895 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 = 1,689 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Az Zubayr 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Athens
Az Zubayr

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 Zubayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Az Zubayr wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Az Zubayr the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $983 in Az Zubayr 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 $204 in Az Zubayr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $145 in Az Zubayr. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Az Zubayr – 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 $655 in Az Zubayr versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Az Zubayr but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Az Zubayr 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.