Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Kalar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalar: $499 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kalar
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Kalar Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Kalar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Kalar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $499 in Kalar.

Athens $1,779
Kalar $499

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $747 in Kalar.

Athens $2,721
Kalar $747

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $995 in Kalar.

Athens $3,663
Kalar $995

Living in Athens is roughly 257% more expensive than in Kalar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Kalar is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.09 IQD 6,175

311.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$10.62 IQD 16.0K

521.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$3.07 IQD 4,645

265.15%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$0.85 IQD 1,290

380.00%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.42 IQD 633

559.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.14 IQD 213

285.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$5.73 IQD 8,652

-0.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$4.04 IQD 6,105

54.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.90 IQD 1,357

104.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.72 IQD 1,088

98.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.29 IQD 1,951

106.98%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.13 IQD 1,707

338.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$3.03 IQD 4,584

398.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$1.96 IQD 2,965

460.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$10.75 IQD 16.2K

83.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.86 IQD 1,297

146.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.03 IQD 1,550

92.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.81 IQD 1,230

64.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.66 IQD 998

227.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.61 IQD 925

73.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.58 IQD 883

98.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.60 IQD 909

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.38 IQD 577

123.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.11 IQD 3,190

158.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$10.88 IQD 16.4K

-7.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.47 IQD 2,223

38.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.78 IQD 2,682

33.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.51 IQD 776

164.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$26.88 IQD 40.6K

13.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.62 IQD 2,443

135.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.62 IQD 2,447

-36.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$3.38 IQD 5,111

387.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.58 IQD 875

303.45%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$14.4K IQD 21.8M

92.67%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$15.9K IQD 24.0M

67.61%

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

$202 €180

$46.87 IQD 70.8K

331.45%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$11.50 IQD 17.4K

133.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$20.80 IQD 31.4K

46.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$16.65 IQD 25.2K

224.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$32.37 IQD 48.9K

-15.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$6.62 IQD 9,996

57.70%

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

$568 €505

$43.74 IQD 66.1K

1197.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$1,295 IQD 2.0M

1072.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$11.17 IQD 16.9K

711.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

229.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$23.40 IQD 35.4K

349.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$28.34 IQD 42.8K

355.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$147 IQD 222.6K

403.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$89.9 IQD 135.9K

620.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$252 IQD 381.0K

404.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$126 IQD 190.2K

791.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$857 IQD 1.3M

366.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$396 IQD 597.6K

729.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$297 IQD 448.8K

319.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

2.53

75.49%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kalar: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Kalar

$90 18% 86.1% $558

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Kalar

$137 27.4% 56.8% $180

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Kalar

$91 18.3% 66.4% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Kalar

$79 15.9% 69.5% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Kalar

$34 6.8% 79.4% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Kalar

$30 6% 60.1% $45

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Kalar

$39 7.7% 13.9% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $147 in Kalar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $11 in Kalar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $137 per month, with Kalar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Kalar

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

11:17 11:17 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

250,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,697 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Kalar 1,970 km ≈ 3 h 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 Kalar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalar wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kalar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 4.2 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 $147 in Kalar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kalar – a meal for two runs $11 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 $499 in Kalar – Kalar is about 72% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $499 in Kalar versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kalar but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Kalar 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 Kalar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.