Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mahabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahabad: $528 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Mahabad
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Mahabad Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Mahabad

🇮🇷 Iran

$528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mahabad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $528 in Mahabad.

Athens $1,779
Mahabad $528

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $831 in Mahabad.

Athens $2,721
Mahabad $831

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,135 in Mahabad.

Athens $3,663
Mahabad $1,135

Living in Athens is roughly 237% more expensive than in Mahabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Mahabad is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$2.92 $2.92

476.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$16.31 $16.31

304.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$3.99 $3.99

180.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.13 $1.13

261.06%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.51 $0.51

443.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.99 $0.99

-45.45%

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

$0.68 $0.68

170.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.51 $0.51

180.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.09 $2.09

27.75%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.24 $1.24

299.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$4.47 $4.47

237.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.34 $3.34

229.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$7.85 $7.85

151.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.03 $1.03

105.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.59 $1.59

24.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.86 $0.86

54.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.57 $0.57

278.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.57 $0.57

85.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.47 $0.47

144.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.54 $0.54

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.24 $0.24

254.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 $0.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.46 $2.46

121.95%

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

$0.14 $0.14

864.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$9.67 $9.67

215.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.44 $0.44

765.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.31 $0.31

232.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.63 $2.63

527.00%

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

$50.0K $50.0K

-44.44%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$45.4K $45.4K

-41.43%

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

$202 €180

$12.98 $12.98

1457.94%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$1.57 $1.57

1607.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$3.81 $3.81

700.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$18.40 $18.40

193.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$13.52 $13.52

102.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$2.04 $2.04

411.76%

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

$568 €505

$107 $107

428.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,442 $2,442

521.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$22.95 $22.95

294.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$27.82 $27.82

41.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$98.5 $98.5

6.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$73.7 $73.7

74.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$290 $290

155.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$212 $212

205.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$806 $806

57.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$356 $356

215.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$1,134 $1,134

252.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$541 $541

506.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$254 $254

391.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

24.3

-81.73%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mahabad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Mahabad

$212 40.2% 67.3% $436

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Mahabad

$108 20.4% 66% $209

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Mahabad

$55 10.4% 79.8% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Mahabad

$18 3.5% 92.9% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Mahabad

$100 19% 38.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mahabad

$22 4.3% 70% $52

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mahabad

$12 2.3% 72.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $290 in Mahabad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $16 in Mahabad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $108 per month, with Mahabad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Mahabad

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

12:21 12:21 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

208,541

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Mahabad 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Mahabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahabad wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mahabad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 4.9 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 $290 in Mahabad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mahabad – 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 $528 in Mahabad – Mahabad is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $528 in Mahabad versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mahabad but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mahabad 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 Mahabad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.