Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bushehr

For one person, living is cheaper in Bushehr: $518 a month against $1,759 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Bushehr
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Bushehr Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Bushehr

🇮🇷 Iran

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bushehr

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $518 in Bushehr.

Athens $1,759
Bushehr $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $805 in Bushehr.

Athens $2,696
Bushehr $805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $1,091 in Bushehr.

Athens $3,632
Bushehr $1,091

Living in Athens is roughly 240% more expensive than in Bushehr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 29% above, Bushehr is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.31

$4.53 $4.53

276.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.1

$12.80 $12.80

414.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$4.10 $4.10

167.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 $1.02

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$1.22 $1.22

236.07%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$0.62 $0.62

356.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$1.03 $1.03

-42.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.51 $0.51

272.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.29 $0.29

403.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$1.81 $1.81

49.72%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$0.99 $0.99

409.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.54

$1.46 $1.46

932.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$2.94 $2.94

249.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.42

$9.89 $9.89

96.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$0.57 $0.57

271.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.46 $1.46

30.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.94 $0.94

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$0.52 $0.52

309.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$0.48 $0.48

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$0.29 $0.29

289.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.51 $0.51

121.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.20 $0.20

305.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.58 $0.58

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 $0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$3.08 $3.08

79.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$0.13 $0.13

907.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.55

$9.67 $9.67

217.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$0.38 $0.38

1050.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.31 $0.31

232.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$3.53 $3.53

383.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$0.09 $0.09

2500.00%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$60.0K $60.0K

-52.90%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$48.4K $48.4K

-44.69%

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

$200 €180

$20.18 $20.18

890.44%

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

$25.17 €22.61

$1.59 $1.59

1483.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$3.97 $3.97

646.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.31

$19.16 $19.16

163.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

$13.66 $13.66

89.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.45

$1.94 $1.94

442.27%

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

$576 €518

$50.9 $50.9

1032.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$608 $608

2028.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$22.67 $22.67

295.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$18.74 $18.74

111.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$96.2 $96.2

9.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$55.5 $55.5

123.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$295 $295

151.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €577

$208 $208

208.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$327 $327

298.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$353 $353

217.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,603

$1,143 $1,143

250.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,950

$531 $531

518.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

$282 $282

333.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

24.3

-81.56%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bushehr: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Bushehr

$208 40.2% 67.6% $435

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Bushehr

$92 17.8% 70.4% $220

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Bushehr

$70 13.5% 74.3% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Bushehr

$26 5% 89.9% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Bushehr

$87 16.8% 46.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Bushehr

$23 4.5% 67.8% $48

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Bushehr

$12 2.3% 73.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $295 in Bushehr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $13 in Bushehr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $92 per month, with Bushehr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Bushehr

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

223,504

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Bushehr 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 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 Bushehr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bushehr wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bushehr the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 4.3 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: $740 in Athens versus $295 in Bushehr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bushehr – a meal for two runs $13 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,759 per month in Athens versus $518 in Bushehr – Bushehr is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $518 in Bushehr versus $1,759 in Athens, a $800 budget is realistic in Bushehr but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Bushehr 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 Bushehr gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.