Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Kirkuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkuk: $547 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Kirkuk
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Kirkuk Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Kirkuk

🇮🇶 Iraq

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Kirkuk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $547 in Kirkuk.

Athens $1,779
Kirkuk $547

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $873 in Kirkuk.

Athens $2,721
Kirkuk $873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,199 in Kirkuk.

Athens $3,663
Kirkuk $1,199

Living in Athens is roughly 225% more expensive than in Kirkuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Kirkuk is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.06

$3.62 IQD 5,468

364.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €59.1

$23.17 IQD 35.0K

184.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €10.03

$5.20 IQD 7,855

115.58%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.65

$2.38 IQD 3,602

71.43%

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

$2.77 €2.48

$0.35 IQD 536

691.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.14 IQD 214

285.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.10

$2.66 IQD 4,018

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.60

$3.20 IQD 4,839

95.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$0.97 IQD 1,463

89.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.60 IQD 909

138.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$1.32 IQD 1,997

102.27%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.43

$1.32 IQD 1,989

275.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.51

$3.43 IQD 5,178

339.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.83

$3.17 IQD 4,787

246.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.69

$11.37 IQD 17.2K

73.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$0.74 IQD 1,121

186.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$0.79 IQD 1,196

150.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.79 IQD 1,195

68.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$0.63 IQD 959

242.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.48 IQD 719

120.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.49 IQD 736

134.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.55 IQD 834

96.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.34 IQD 520

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.88

$1.60 IQD 2,417

241.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.97

$11.91 IQD 18.0K

-15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.34 IQD 2,023

52.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.62 IQD 2,449

46.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.34 IQD 518

297.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.31

$19.81 IQD 29.9K

54.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.41

$1.96 IQD 2,961

94.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.35 IQD 2,039

-23.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.75

$6.71 IQD 10.1K

145.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$0.51 IQD 777

358.82%

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

$27.8K €24.8K

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

65.92%

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

$26.6K €23.8K

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

61.69%

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

$202 €181

$52.8 IQD 79.7K

283.21%

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

$26.81 €23.99

$19.52 IQD 29.5K

37.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.28

$39.57 IQD 59.8K

-22.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.38

$9.88 IQD 14.9K

447.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.52

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.34

$9.85 IQD 14.9K

5.99%

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

$568 €508

$146 IQD 220.6K

288.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.6K

$5,418 IQD 8.2M

180.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €81.1

$25.35 IQD 38.3K

257.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.19

$16.32 IQD 24.7K

140.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$59.0 IQD 89.1K

78.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$29.64 IQD 44.8K

335.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €664

$164 IQD 248.1K

351.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €580

$78.3 IQD 118.3K

728.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,138

$196 IQD 296.5K

547.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,004

$195 IQD 294.0K

476.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,578

$499 IQD 754.1K

701.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,936

$263 IQD 397.8K

1146.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,114

$373 IQD 563.6K

233.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

4.12

7.77%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kirkuk: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Kirkuk

$78 14.3% 87.9% $570

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Kirkuk

$144 26.3% 54.5% $173

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Kirkuk

$95 17.3% 65.1% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Kirkuk

$112 20.5% 56.9% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Kirkuk

$59 10.7% 64.2% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Kirkuk

$30 5.4% 60.5% $45

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Kirkuk

$30 5.5% 33.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $164 in Kirkuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $23 in Kirkuk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $144 per month, with Kirkuk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Kirkuk

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

23:57 11:57 PM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

850,787

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 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 = 0.895 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 = 1,689 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Kirkuk 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Kirkuk

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 Kirkuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kirkuk wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kirkuk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 3.3 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 $164 in Kirkuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kirkuk – a meal for two runs $23 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 $547 in Kirkuk – Kirkuk is about 69% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $547 in Kirkuk versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kirkuk but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Kirkuk 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 Kirkuk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.