Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $662 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
Learn more

Basra Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Basra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $662 in Basra.

Athens $1,779
Basra $662

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,191 in Basra.

Athens $2,721
Basra $1,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,719 in Basra.

Athens $3,663
Basra $1,719

Living in Athens is roughly 169% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Basra is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.02 IQD 6,082

318.66%

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 €9.99

$6.62 IQD 10.0K

69.34%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.17 IQD 3,285

88.02%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.37 IQD 554

648.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.28 IQD 417

92.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$3.25 IQD 4,916

75.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.57 IQD 5,393

75.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.92 IQD 1,389

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.60 IQD 902

138.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.22 IQD 1,842

118.85%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.62 IQD 2,448

205.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$6.41 IQD 9,681

135.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.58 IQD 8,429

96.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$12.22 IQD 18.5K

61.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.84 IQD 1,267

152.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.16 IQD 1,753

70.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.89 IQD 1,342

49.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.60 IQD 910

260.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.69 IQD 1,044

53.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.56 IQD 846

105.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.82 IQD 1,236

31.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.36 IQD 547

136.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.85 IQD 2,790

195.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$11.16 IQD 16.9K

-10.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.57 IQD 2,365

29.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.80 IQD 2,717

32.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.50 IQD 762

170.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$16.56 IQD 25.0K

84.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.02 IQD 3,056

88.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.00 IQD 3,023

-48.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$6.34 IQD 9,581

160.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.55 IQD 838

325.45%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

137.07%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$19.9K IQD 30.1M

33.49%

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

$202 €180

$43.26 IQD 65.4K

367.45%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$21.81 IQD 33.0K

22.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$34.04 IQD 51.4K

-10.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$31.25 IQD 47.2K

73.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$12.28 IQD 18.6K

123.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$6.69 IQD 10.1K

56.05%

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

$568 €506

$107 IQD 161.7K

430.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$3,309 IQD 5.0M

358.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$43.15 IQD 65.2K

110.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$17.34 IQD 26.2K

126.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

57.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$36.13 IQD 54.6K

256.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$405 IQD 612.0K

83.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$138 IQD 208.2K

370.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$370 IQD 559.6K

243.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$545 IQD 823.8K

105.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,398 IQD 2.1M

185.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$704 IQD 1.1M

365.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$672 IQD 1.0M

85.29%

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 Basra: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Basra

$138 20.8% 78.8% $511

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Basra

$173 26% 45.4% $144

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Basra

$104 15.7% 61.6% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Basra

$99 15% 61.8% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Basra

$74 11.1% 55.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Basra

$45 6.7% 40.5% $30

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Basra

$31 4.6% 31.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 85% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $26 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $173 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

21:30 9:30 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

2,150,000

💱 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,698 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Basra 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Basra

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 Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 85% higher in Athens, 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 $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – 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 $662 in Basra – Basra is about 63% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $662 in Basra versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Basra 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 Basra 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.