Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $608 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
Learn more

Islamabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Islamabad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $608 in Islamabad.

Athens $1,779
Islamabad $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $950 in Islamabad.

Athens $2,721
Islamabad $950

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,292 in Islamabad.

Athens $3,663
Islamabad $1,292

Living in Athens is roughly 193% more expensive than in Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Islamabad is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$3.57 PKR 986

371.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$24.14 PKR 6,672

173.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$5.37 PKR 1,483

108.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 PKR 1,030

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 PKR 1,947

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.67 PKR 739

52.81%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.35 PKR 95.6

691.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.24 PKR 66.6

125.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.99 PKR 273

85.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.74 PKR 203

93.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.29 PKR 358

106.98%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.32 PKR 366

275.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$5.97 PKR 1,651

152.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.03 PKR 837

262.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$5.52 PKR 1,526

258.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.35 PKR 373

57.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.86 PKR 238

130.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.04 PKR 286

27.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.55 PKR 151

292.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.30 PKR 83.3

253.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.40 PKR 110

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.28 PKR 77.0

285.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.43 PKR 118

97.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.00 PKR 551

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 PKR 346

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 PKR 729

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.36 PKR 652

131.36%

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 PKR 46.15

694.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$21.61 PKR 5,972

41.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.28 PKR 355

197.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.70 PKR 193

47.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$1.65 PKR 456

899.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.33 PKR 369

75.94%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$54.3K PKR 15.0M

-48.84%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

15.00%

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

$202 €180

$103 PKR 28.4K

96.62%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$6.17 PKR 1,705

334.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$17.36 PKR 4,798

75.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$33.65 PKR 9,300

60.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$8.62 PKR 2,382

217.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$4.97 PKR 1,375

110.06%

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

$568 €505

$326 PKR 90.1K

74.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$22.4K PKR 6.2M

-32.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$25.82 PKR 7,136

251.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$34.52 PKR 9,539

13.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$95.6 PKR 26.4K

10.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$41.07 PKR 11.4K

214.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$248 PKR 68.5K

199.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$139 PKR 38.5K

365.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$549 PKR 151.6K

131.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$280 PKR 77.4K

300.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,655 PKR 457.5K

141.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$825 PKR 227.9K

297.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$384 PKR 106.0K

224.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

13.08

-66.06%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Islamabad

$139 22.9% 78.5% $509

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Islamabad

$104 17.1% 67.1% $212

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Islamabad

$79 13% 70.9% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Islamabad

$126 20.8% 51.3% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Islamabad

$89 14.6% 45.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Islamabad

$44 7.2% 41.8% $31

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 39.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $248 in Islamabad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $24 in Islamabad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $104 per month, with Islamabad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Islamabad 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islamabad wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Islamabad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 3.2 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 $248 in Islamabad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Islamabad – a meal for two runs $24 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 $608 in Islamabad – Islamabad is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $608 in Islamabad versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Islamabad but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Islamabad 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 Islamabad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.