Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,032 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Baghdad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,032 in Baghdad.

Athens $1,779
Baghdad $1,032

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,490 in Baghdad.

Athens $2,721
Baghdad $1,490

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,949 in Baghdad.

Athens $3,663
Baghdad $1,949

Living in Athens is roughly 72% more expensive than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Baghdad is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.34 IQD 6,556

287.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

149.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.40 IQD 9,677

75.16%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.67 IQD 4,034

52.81%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.39 IQD 587

610.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.22 IQD 333

145.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$3.21 IQD 4,857

77.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.27 IQD 4,937

91.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.91 IQD 1,378

102.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.67 IQD 1,006

113.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.37 IQD 2,077

94.89%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.69 IQD 2,557

192.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$3.37 IQD 5,091

347.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.90 IQD 5,900

181.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$12.44 IQD 18.8K

58.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.03 IQD 1,557

105.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.90 IQD 1,356

120.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.94 IQD 1,418

41.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.64 IQD 963

237.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.60 IQD 904

76.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.57 IQD 861

101.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.58 IQD 883

86.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.62 IQD 935

37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.54 IQD 2,331

254.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$11.95 IQD 18.1K

-16.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.90 IQD 2,874

7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.87 IQD 2,833

27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.34 IQD 518

297.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$19.50 IQD 29.5K

56.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.02 IQD 3,059

88.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.31 IQD 1,976

-21.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

143.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.58 IQD 870

303.45%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

69.54%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

62.57%

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

$202 €180

$191 IQD 288.4K

5.97%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$20.02 IQD 30.3K

33.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

-21.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$39.72 IQD 60.0K

36.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$18.37 IQD 27.8K

49.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

4.61%

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

$568 €505

$145 IQD 218.4K

292.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$5,369 IQD 8.1M

182.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$24.76 IQD 37.4K

266.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$33.12 IQD 50.0K

18.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$59.3 IQD 89.6K

77.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$42.11 IQD 63.6K

206.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$530 IQD 800.5K

40.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$348 IQD 526.3K

86.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$992 IQD 1.5M

28.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$611 IQD 923.3K

83.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$4,348 IQD 6.6M

-8.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

133.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$517 IQD 780.9K

140.93%

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 Baghdad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Baghdad

$348 33.8% 46.3% $300

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Baghdad

$162 15.7% 48.7% $154

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Baghdad

$111 10.8% 59.1% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Baghdad

$250 24.2% 3.9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Baghdad

$72 7% 56.3% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Baghdad

$60 5.8% 20.4% $15

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Baghdad

$29 2.9% 34.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $530 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $26 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $162 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

7,216,040 Capital

💱 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 Baghdad 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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 Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 2.4 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 $530 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Baghdad – a meal for two runs $26 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 $1,032 in Baghdad – Baghdad is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Baghdad is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.