Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mashhad, Iran

Name: Mashhad
Address: Mashhad, IR

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $464 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$464

/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 $464 in Mashhad.

Athens $1,779
Mashhad $464

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $759 in Mashhad.

Athens $2,721
Mashhad $759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,054 in Mashhad.

Athens $3,663
Mashhad $1,054

Living in Athens is roughly 283% 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 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$3.07 $3.07

448.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$18.75 $18.75

252.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$5.06 $5.06

121.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.56 $0.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 $0.92

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.09 $1.09

274.31%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.43 $0.43

544.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.26 $0.26

107.69%

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

$0.61 $0.61

201.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.21 $0.21

580.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.95 $1.95

36.92%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.15 $1.15

330.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$2.17 $2.17

595.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$2.71 $2.71

305.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$10.43 $10.43

89.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.87 $0.87

143.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.56 $1.56

26.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.80 $0.80

66.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.63 $0.63

242.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.49 $0.49

116.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.48 $0.48

139.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.52 $0.52

107.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.27 $0.27

214.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.86 $0.86

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.08 $3.08

77.27%

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

$0.02 $0.02

6650.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$3.66 $3.66

733.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.18 $0.18

2016.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.49 $0.49

110.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.02 $2.02

716.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.78 $0.78

200.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$59.8K $59.8K

-53.56%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$67.7K $67.7K

-60.69%

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

$202 €180

$14.81 $14.81

1265.43%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$2.14 $2.14

1152.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$20.20 $20.20

50.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$19.54 $19.54

176.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$14.96 $14.96

83.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$1.97 $1.97

429.95%

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

$568 €506

$41.44 $41.44

1269.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$625 $625

2327.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$20.06 $20.06

351.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$39.31 $39.31

0.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$95.3 $95.3

10.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$70.1 $70.1

83.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$199 $199

272.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$141 $141

361.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$402 $402

216.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$263 $263

325.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,124 $1,124

255.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$687 $687

377.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$249 $249

399.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-81.50%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Mashhad

$141 30.3% 78.3% $508

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Mashhad

$100 21.5% 68.4% $216

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Mashhad

$56 12% 79.5% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Mashhad

$37 8% 85.7% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Mashhad

$101 21.8% 38.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mashhad

$23 5.1% 68.7% $51

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mashhad

$6.4 1.4% 85.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $199 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $19 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $100 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

03:18 3:18 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

3,001,184

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Mashhad 3,170 km ≈ 4 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 74% 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.

Average pay in Athens is about 5 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 $199 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $19 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 $464 in Mashhad – Mashhad is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $464 in Mashhad versus $1,779 in Athens, a $800 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.

Expats usually find Mashhad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.