Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mardan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mardan: $502 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
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Mardan Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mardan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $502 in Mardan.

Athens $1,779
Mardan $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $788 in Mardan.

Athens $2,721
Mardan $788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,075 in Mardan.

Athens $3,663
Mardan $1,075

Living in Athens is roughly 255% more expensive than in Mardan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$3.55 PKR 982

374.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$24.04 PKR 6,649

174.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$5.30 PKR 1,466

111.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 PKR 1,018

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 PKR 1,925

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.65 PKR 732

53.96%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.34 PKR 94.2

714.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.22 PKR 60.6

145.45%

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

$0.89 PKR 245

106.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.74 PKR 205

93.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.24 PKR 344

115.32%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.15 PKR 319

330.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$2.88 PKR 796

423.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$2.98 PKR 823

268.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$3.74 PKR 1,034

428.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.91 PKR 253

132.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.73 PKR 202

171.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.03 PKR 286

29.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.38 PKR 104

468.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.30 PKR 83.4

253.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.37 PKR 101

210.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.30 PKR 83.8

260.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.34 PKR 95.4

150.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.80 PKR 497

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 332

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 667

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.77 PKR 490

208.47%

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

$0.16 PKR 45.48

743.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$9.28 PKR 2,567

228.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.24 PKR 344

207.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.69 PKR 191

49.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$1.65 PKR 457

899.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.01 PKR 280

131.68%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

28.68%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

15.19%

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

$202 €180

$102 PKR 28.3K

97.65%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$5.95 PKR 1,647

350.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$17.03 PKR 4,710

79.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$16.14 PKR 4,464

235.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$7.66 PKR 2,120

257.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$5.02 PKR 1,389

107.97%

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

$568 €506

$41.83 PKR 11.6K

1256.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$1,045 PKR 289.0K

1352.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$25.92 PKR 7,169

249.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$35.23 PKR 9,743

11.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$96.2 PKR 26.6K

9.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$40.90 PKR 11.3K

215.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$138 PKR 38.1K

438.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$85.4 PKR 23.6K

659.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$265 PKR 73.3K

379.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$179 PKR 49.6K

526.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$896 PKR 247.7K

346.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$432 PKR 119.5K

659.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

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 Mardan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Mardan

$85 17% 86.8% $563

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Mardan

$83 16.5% 73.9% $234

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Mardan

$78 15.6% 71.2% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Mardan

$125 25% 51.7% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Mardan

$89 17.8% 45.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mardan

$26 5.2% 65.1% $49

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mardan

$15 2.9% 67.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $138 in Mardan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $24 in Mardan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $83 per month, with Mardan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇰 Mardan

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

23:06 11:06 PM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

358,604

💱 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Mardan 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Mardan

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 Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $752 in Mardan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $138 in Mardan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mardan – 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 $502 in Mardan – Mardan is about 72% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $502 in Mardan versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mardan but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mardan 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 Mardan 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.