Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Damascus

For one person, living is cheaper in Damascus: $866 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Damascus
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Damascus Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Damascus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $866 in Damascus.

Athens $1,779
Damascus $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,404 in Damascus.

Athens $2,721
Damascus $1,404

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,943 in Damascus.

Athens $3,663
Damascus $1,943

Living in Athens is roughly 106% more expensive than in Damascus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Damascus is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$10.11 SYP 1,229

66.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$43.10 SYP 5,237

53.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$7.21 SYP 876

55.48%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.67 SYP 446

11.17%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$2.28 SYP 277

21.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.89 SYP 108

-39.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$1.92 SYP 233

196.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.99 SYP 484

56.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.04 SYP 126

76.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.41 SYP 50.4

248.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.63 SYP 198

63.80%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.58 SYP 192

213.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$3.82 SYP 464

295.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$5.80 SYP 705

89.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$13.83 SYP 1,680

42.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.03 SYP 126

105.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.42 SYP 172

39.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.11 SYP 135

19.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.02 SYP 124

111.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.79 SYP 96.5

34.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.77 SYP 93.0

49.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.43 SYP 52.7

151.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.63 SYP 76.0

34.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.79 SYP 340

95.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$5.14 SYP 624

95.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.09 SYP 132

87.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.81 SYP 341

-15.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.21 SYP 25.46

542.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$7.81 SYP 949

290.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.98 SYP 119

288.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.49 SYP 181

-30.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$7.89 SYP 959

109.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$3.77 SYP 458

-37.93%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

84.33%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

36.57%

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

$202 €180

$139 SYP 16.9K

45.68%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$9.53 SYP 1,158

181.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$47.09 SYP 5,721

-35.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$28.02 SYP 3,404

92.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$6.80 SYP 826

302.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.38 SYP 654

94.05%

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

$568 €506

$65.4 SYP 7,950

767.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$1,773 SYP 215.4K

756.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$28.78 SYP 3,497

214.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$39.30 SYP 4,775

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$60.9 SYP 7,403

72.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$59.0 SYP 7,168

118.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$514 SYP 62.4K

44.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$186 SYP 22.6K

248.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$864 SYP 104.9K

47.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$466 SYP 56.6K

140.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,725 SYP 209.5K

131.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$599 SYP 72.7K

448.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$78.6 SYP 9,553

1483.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

14.25

-68.84%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Damascus: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Damascus

$186 21.5% 71.3% $462

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Damascus

$167 19.3% 47.2% $149

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Damascus

$177 20.4% 34.9% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Damascus

$195 22.6% 24.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Damascus

$85 9.8% 48.4% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Damascus

$39 4.5% 48.3% $36

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Damascus

$17 2% 61.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $514 in Damascus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 16 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $43 in Damascus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $167 per month, with Damascus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇾 Damascus

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

01:27 1:27 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,414,913 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.33 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Damascus 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Damascus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Damascus wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Damascus the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 16 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 $514 in Damascus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Damascus – a meal for two runs $43 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 $866 in Damascus – Damascus is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $866 in Damascus versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Damascus but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Damascus 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 Damascus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.