Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Iskenderun

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $965 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Iskenderun
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Iskenderun Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Iskenderun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $965 in Iskenderun.

Athens $1,779
Iskenderun $965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,450 in Iskenderun.

Athens $2,721
Iskenderun $1,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,935 in Iskenderun.

Athens $3,663
Iskenderun $1,935

Living in Athens is roughly 84% more expensive than in Iskenderun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Iskenderun is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$6.01 ₺302

180.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$29.58 ₺1,484

123.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.11 ₺306

83.47%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.08 ₺154

32.47%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.11 ₺55.9

149.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.27 ₺13.55

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.39 ₺120

138.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.63 ₺132

138.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.03 ₺51.6

78.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.78 ₺39.36

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.67 ₺83.7

59.88%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.85 ₺93.0

167.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.36 ₺369

105.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.92 ₺197

180.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$17.71 ₺888

11.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.62 ₺81.0

30.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.84 ₺92.4

7.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.85 ₺42.67

56.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.07 ₺53.7

101.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.49 ₺24.60

116.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.37 ₺18.69

210.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.84 ₺42.18

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.61 ₺30.50

39.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.11 ₺106

158.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.93 ₺498

1.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.32 ₺116

-12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.20 ₺161

-25.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.66 ₺32.85

104.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.98 ₺49.40

288.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.92 ₺46.21

11.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$10.06 ₺505

63.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.25 ₺62.5

87.20%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-31.42%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$41.4K ₺2.1M

-35.78%

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

$202 €180

$88.3 ₺4,429

128.99%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$9.59 ₺481

179.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$10.35 ₺519

194.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$47.34 ₺2,374

14.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$6.10 ₺306

71.15%

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

$568 €505

$443 ₺22.2K

28.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$7,098 ₺356.0K

113.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$53.4 ₺2,679

69.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$28.94 ₺1,451

35.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$113 ₺5,657

-6.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$108 ₺5,425

19.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$428 ₺21.5K

73.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$321 ₺16.1K

101.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$704 ₺35.3K

80.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$508 ₺25.5K

120.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,128 ₺56.6K

254.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$950 ₺47.6K

245.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$1,122 ₺56.3K

11.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-87.31%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Iskenderun: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Iskenderun

$321 33.3% 50.5% $327

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Iskenderun

$206 21.3% 35% $111

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Iskenderun

$126 13.1% 53.6% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Iskenderun

$108 11.2% 58.3% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Iskenderun

$136 14.1% 16.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Iskenderun

$60 6.2% 20.6% $15

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Iskenderun

$8.2 * 0.9% 81.7% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $428 in Iskenderun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 11% 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 $30 in Iskenderun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $206 per month, with Iskenderun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇷 Iskenderun

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

17:29 5:29 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

246,639

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Iskenderun 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Iskenderun

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 Iskenderun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iskenderun wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Iskenderun the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 11% 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 $428 in Iskenderun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $443 in Iskenderun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Iskenderun – a meal for two runs $30 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Iskenderun wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.