Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Birjand

For one person, living is cheaper in Birjand: $531 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Birjand
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Birjand Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Birjand

🇮🇷 Iran

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Birjand

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $531 in Birjand.

Athens $1,779
Birjand $531

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $842 in Birjand.

Athens $2,721
Birjand $842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,154 in Birjand.

Athens $3,663
Birjand $1,154

Living in Athens is roughly 235% more expensive than in Birjand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Birjand is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$2.96 $2.96

468.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$15.89 $15.89

315.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$3.89 $3.89

188.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 $0.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.10 $1.10

270.91%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.52 $0.52

432.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$1.02 $1.02

-47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.65 $0.65

183.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.51 $0.51

180.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.08 $2.08

28.37%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.20 $1.20

312.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$4.36 $4.36

246.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.33 $3.33

230.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$10.18 $10.18

94.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.03 $1.03

105.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.63 $1.63

21.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.82 $0.82

62.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.60 $0.60

260.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.55 $0.55

92.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.51 $0.51

125.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.57 $0.57

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.24 $0.24

254.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.81 $0.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 $1.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.46 $2.46

121.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.17 $0.17

694.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$9.63 $9.63

216.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.42 $0.42

807.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.29 $0.29

255.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.67 $2.67

517.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.08 $0.08

2825.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$50.1K $50.1K

-44.55%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$46.2K $46.2K

-42.45%

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

$202 €180

$13.20 $13.20

1431.97%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$1.52 $1.52

1663.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$4.02 $4.02

658.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$18.86 $18.86

186.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$13.64 $13.64

100.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$2.03 $2.03

414.29%

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

$568 €506

$106 $106

435.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,419 $2,419

527.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$23.11 $23.11

292.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$27.81 $27.81

41.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$97.7 $97.7

7.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$72.0 $72.0

79.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$296 $296

150.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$209 $209

210.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$783 $783

62.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$361 $361

210.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,165 $1,165

243.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$537 $537

510.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

24.3

-81.73%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Birjand: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Birjand

$209 39.4% 67.7% $439

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Birjand

$114 21.5% 63.9% $202

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Birjand

$55 10.3% 79.9% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Birjand

$19 3.5% 92.8% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Birjand

$99 18.7% 39.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Birjand

$23 4.3% 69.4% $52

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Birjand

$12 2.3% 72.9% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $296 in Birjand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $16 in Birjand for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $114 per month, with Birjand cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Birjand

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

203,636

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Birjand 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Birjand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birjand wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Birjand the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $796 in Birjand 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 $296 in Birjand. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Birjand – a meal for two runs $16 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 $531 in Birjand – Birjand is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $531 in Birjand versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Birjand but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Birjand 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 Birjand gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.