Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Shiraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiraz: $544 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Shiraz
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Shiraz Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Shiraz

🇮🇷 Iran

$544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Shiraz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $544 in Shiraz.

Athens $1,779
Shiraz $544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $813 in Shiraz.

Athens $2,721
Shiraz $813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,082 in Shiraz.

Athens $3,663
Shiraz $1,082

Living in Athens is roughly 227% more expensive than in Shiraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Shiraz is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.46 $4.46

277.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$12.88 $12.88

412.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$4.12 $4.12

172.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 $0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.21 $1.21

237.19%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.60 $0.60

361.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

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

$0.67 $0.67

174.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.45 $0.45

217.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.88 $1.88

42.02%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.19 $1.19

315.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$2.25 $2.25

570.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$2.94 $2.94

273.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$10.02 $10.02

97.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.12 $1.12

89.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.56 $1.56

26.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.90 $0.90

47.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.59 $0.59

266.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.53 $0.53

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.53 $0.53

116.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.47 $0.47

129.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.21 $0.21

304.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.87 $0.87

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.97 $2.97

83.84%

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

$0.11 $0.11

1127.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$2.98 $2.98

924.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.38 $0.38

902.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.20 $0.20

415.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$3.53 $3.53

367.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$66.2K $66.2K

-58.05%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$53.1K $53.1K

-49.89%

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

$202 €180

$23.42 $23.42

763.45%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$2.07 $2.07

1195.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$16.82 $16.82

81.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$18.40 $18.40

193.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$13.74 $13.74

99.42%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$2.04 $2.04

411.76%

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

$568 €506

$103 $103

453.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,386 $2,386

536.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$22.62 $22.62

300.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$18.48 $18.48

112.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$96.3 $96.3

9.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$54.6 $54.6

136.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$293 $293

153.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$219 $219

195.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$545 $545

133.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$323 $323

247.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,154 $1,154

246.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$503 $503

552.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$237 $237

426.16%

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 Shiraz: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Shiraz

$219 40.3% 66.2% $429

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Shiraz

$103 19% 67.3% $213

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Shiraz

$65 * 12% 76.1% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Shiraz

$42 7.8% 83.7% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Shiraz

$86 15.9% 47.3% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Shiraz

$22 4.1% 70% $52

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Shiraz

$4.8 0.9% 89.3% $40

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 $293 in Shiraz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $13 in Shiraz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $103 per month, with Shiraz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Shiraz

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,565,572

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Shiraz 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Shiraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shiraz wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Shiraz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 5.3 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 $293 in Shiraz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Shiraz – a meal for two runs $13 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 $544 in Shiraz – Shiraz is about 69% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $544 in Shiraz versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shiraz but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Shiraz 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 Shiraz are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Shiraz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.