Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mashhad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $756 in Mashhad.

Athens $1,779
Mashhad $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,119 in Mashhad.

Athens $2,721
Mashhad $1,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,481 in Mashhad.

Athens $3,663
Mashhad $1,481

Living in Athens is roughly 135% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Mashhad is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.49 IQD 6,781

274.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

146.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

66.57%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.71 IQD 4,100

50.55%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.36 IQD 542

669.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.20 IQD 302

170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$3.37 IQD 5,090

69.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$3.39 IQD 5,126

84.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.91 IQD 1,368

102.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.73 IQD 1,106

95.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.32 IQD 1,997

102.27%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$0.82 IQD 1,242

503.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$3.41 IQD 5,157

342.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$1.98 IQD 2,985

455.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$2.95 IQD 4,463

570.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.03 IQD 1,556

105.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.91 IQD 1,377

117.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.87 IQD 1,321

52.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.64 IQD 971

237.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.59 IQD 898

79.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.56 IQD 840

105.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.31 IQD 474

248.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.21 IQD 321

304.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$0.77 IQD 1,168

609.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

-15.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.92 IQD 2,898

6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.87 IQD 2,832

27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.34 IQD 520

297.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.96 IQD 2,965

94.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.31 IQD 1,972

-21.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$6.42 IQD 9,699

156.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.54 IQD 810

333.33%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

65.35%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

61.00%

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

$202 €180

$191 IQD 288.5K

5.90%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

37.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

-20.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

46.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

7.74%

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

$568 €505

$143 IQD 215.6K

297.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

375.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

254.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

15.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

79.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

203.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$212 IQD 319.9K

250.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$139 IQD 210.6K

365.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$378 IQD 571.7K

235.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$319 IQD 482.6K

251.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$862 IQD 1.3M

363.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$491 IQD 742.5K

567.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

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 Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Mashhad

$139 18.4% 78.5% $509

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Mashhad

$115 15.2% 63.7% $201

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Mashhad

$115 15.1% 57.8% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Mashhad

$249 32.9% 4.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Mashhad

$72 9.6% 55.8% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mashhad

$56 7.4% 25.1% $19

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3% 78% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $212 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $27 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $115 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

13,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 = 1,696 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Mashhad 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mashhad wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mashhad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $1,134 in Mashhad 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 $212 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $143 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Mashhad versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Mashhad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.