Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Karaj

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaj: $817 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Karaj
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Karaj Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Karaj

🇮🇷 Iran

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Karaj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $817 in Karaj.

Athens $1,779
Karaj $817

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,046 in Karaj.

Athens $2,721
Karaj $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,274 in Karaj.

Athens $3,663
Karaj $1,274

Living in Athens is roughly 118% more expensive than in Karaj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Karaj is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$3.51 $3.51

379.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$15.84 $15.84

316.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$3.90 $3.90

187.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.07 $1.07

281.31%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.44 $0.44

529.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$1.71 $1.71

-68.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.64 $0.64

187.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.48 $0.48

197.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.08 $2.08

28.37%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.04 $1.04

375.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$4.36 $4.36

246.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.42 $3.42

221.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$10.19 $10.19

94.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.85 $0.85

149.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.70 $1.70

16.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.78 $0.78

70.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.49 $0.49

340.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.46 $0.46

130.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.47 $0.47

144.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.52 $0.52

107.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.20 $0.20

325.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.84 $0.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.55 $2.55

114.12%

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

$0.18 $0.18

650.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$13.09 $13.09

133.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.29 $0.29

1213.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.31 $0.31

232.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.65 $2.65

522.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.10 $0.10

2240.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$49.4K $49.4K

-43.84%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$45.5K $45.5K

-41.52%

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

$202 €180

$12.79 $12.79

1481.08%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$1.54 $1.54

1640.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$3.96 $3.96

669.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$22.59 $22.59

139.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$10.17 $10.17

169.42%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$1.06 $1.06

884.91%

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

$568 €506

$109 $109

420.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$818 $818

1755.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$24.62 $24.62

268.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$28.57 $28.57

37.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$99.2 $99.2

6.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$71.4 $71.4

80.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$289 $289

157.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$485 $485

33.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$817 $817

55.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$466 $466

140.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,243 $1,243

221.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$533 $533

515.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$242 $242

414.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-80.70%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Karaj: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Karaj

$485 59.4% 25.2% $164

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Karaj

$111 13.6% 64.8% $205

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Karaj

$61 7.5% 77.5% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Karaj

$18 2.2% 93% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Karaj

$101 12.3% 38.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Karaj

$25 3% 67% $50

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Karaj

$16 1.9% 65.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $289 in Karaj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $16 in Karaj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $111 per month, with Karaj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Karaj

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

23:27 11:27 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,712,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Karaj 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min 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 Karaj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karaj wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Karaj the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 5.1 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 $289 in Karaj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karaj – a meal for two runs $16 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 $817 in Karaj – Karaj is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $817 in Karaj versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karaj but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Karaj 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 Karaj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.