Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mazar-i-Sharif

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $290 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $290 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Athens $1,779
Mazar-i-Sharif $290

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $460 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Athens $2,721
Mazar-i-Sharif $460

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $629 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Athens $3,663
Mazar-i-Sharif $629

Living in Athens is roughly 514% more expensive than in Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Mazar-i-Sharif is 79% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$2.30 ؋149

631.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$15.53 ؋1,009

324.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$4.05 ؋263

176.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 ؋513

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 ؋510

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.18 ؋76.7

245.76%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.58 ؋37.66

377.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.30 ؋19.47

80.00%

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

$0.64 ؋41.33

187.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.18 ؋11.89

694.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.10 ؋137

27.14%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.61 ؋104

207.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$7.65 ؋497

97.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.39 ؋221

224.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$6.29 ؋408

214.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.56 ؋36.11

278.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.13 ؋73.1

75.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.81 ؋52.6

64.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.65 ؋42.15

232.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.48 ؋30.95

120.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.39 ؋25.08

194.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.52 ؋34.06

107.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.32 ؋20.93

165.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.90 ؋123

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.57 ؋102

247.77%

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

$0.75 ؋48.54

80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$1.55 ؋101

963.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.51 ؋98.2

54.97%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$9,767 ؋634.6K

184.28%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

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

$202 €180

$80.3 ؋5,218

151.80%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$17.25 ؋1,121

55.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$11.61 ؋754

365.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$3.89 ؋253

604.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$4.69 ؋305

122.60%

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

$568 €506

$77.0 ؋5,002

637.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$13.23 ؋860

585.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$18.44 ؋1,198

599.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$231 ؋15.0K

439.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Cost Breakdown

Athens pays about 5.4 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $16 in Mazar-i-Sharif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $106 per month, with Mazar-i-Sharif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

00:40 12:40 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

300,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, 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).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 64.97 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.93 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Mazar-i-Sharif 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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 Mazar-i-Sharif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mazar-i-Sharif wins on cost – living expenses run 84% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mazar-i-Sharif the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 5.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $77 in Mazar-i-Sharif. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif – a meal for two runs $16 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $290 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mazar-i-Sharif but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mazar-i-Sharif 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mazar-i-Sharif wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.