Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $667 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sulaymaniyah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $667 in Sulaymaniyah.

Athens $1,779
Sulaymaniyah $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,035 in Sulaymaniyah.

Athens $2,721
Sulaymaniyah $1,035

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,403 in Sulaymaniyah.

Athens $3,663
Sulaymaniyah $1,403

Living in Athens is roughly 167% more expensive than in Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Sulaymaniyah is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.10

$4.35 IQD 6,570

286.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €59.2

$20.15 IQD 30.5K

227.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €10.06

$5.91 IQD 8,935

89.68%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.66

$2.37 IQD 3,580

72.15%

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

$2.77 €2.49

$0.43 IQD 644

544.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.20 IQD 302

170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.11

$3.24 IQD 4,890

75.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.62

$2.03 IQD 3,071

208.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.15 IQD 1,732

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.86 IQD 1,306

66.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.40

$1.68 IQD 2,534

58.93%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.44

$1.53 IQD 2,306

223.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.55

$4.31 IQD 6,514

250.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.86

$3.72 IQD 5,627

195.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.74

$12.96 IQD 19.6K

52.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.11 IQD 1,684

90.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.08 IQD 1,631

83.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.99 IQD 1,496

34.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$0.55 IQD 833

292.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.45 IQD 683

135.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.62 IQD 940

85.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.58 IQD 881

86.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.42 IQD 634

102.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.90

$1.96 IQD 2,956

178.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €9.00

$10.04 IQD 15.2K

-0.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.68 IQD 2,532

21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.23 IQD 1,855

93.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.47 IQD 705

187.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.39

$19.85 IQD 30.0K

53.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.42

$2.00 IQD 3,017

90.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.95 IQD 2,951

-47.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.79

$4.74 IQD 7,164

247.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$0.57 IQD 864

310.53%

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

$27.8K €24.9K

$17.6K IQD 26.7M

57.39%

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

$26.6K €23.9K

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

59.59%

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

$202 €181

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

133.97%

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

$26.81 €24.06

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

174.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.36

$23.74 IQD 35.9K

28.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.52

$34.60 IQD 52.3K

56.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.59

$17.82 IQD 26.9K

53.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.37

$6.43 IQD 9,711

62.36%

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

$568 €509

$150 IQD 226.9K

277.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.6K

$2,562 IQD 3.9M

492.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €81.4

$16.49 IQD 24.9K

449.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.29

$22.41 IQD 33.9K

75.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.4

$36.43 IQD 55.0K

188.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €116

$36.62 IQD 55.3K

252.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €666

$187 IQD 282.3K

297.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €582

$150 IQD 225.9K

333.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,141

$412 IQD 621.8K

208.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,006

$308 IQD 464.7K

264.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,589

$703 IQD 1.1M

469.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,944

$541 IQD 817.5K

506.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,117

$502 IQD 758.7K

147.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.77

-23.05%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$150 22.4% 76.9% $499

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4% 48.5% $153

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.5% 61.8% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18% 53.8% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$50 7.6% 69.3% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1% 36.7% $28

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5% 25.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.5 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 $20 in Sulaymaniyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $163 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

05:44 5:44 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

823,199

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,689 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Sulaymaniyah 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sulaymaniyah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 2.5 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 $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah – a meal for two runs $20 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 $667 in Sulaymaniyah – Sulaymaniyah is about 62% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $667 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.